Dragon Ball Sagas
by The Amazing Spiderboy
Summary: Novelization of Dragon Ball Z, with but one added character thrown into the mix. R&R
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball, it is the property of Sunrise and Toriyama.

* * *

Prologue: Callion the Last Saiyan She-Wolf

For many space is the great unknown, the new frontier to explore, to perhaps someday colonize or even challenge, just as the colonists of Europe did the same in America. This uncertainty, is certainly true of humanity's feelings towards space, towards the future and what awaits them beyond the small pebble in the universe so vast that it may as well, be just that.

But to others, the vastness of space isn't so much a romantic challenge, or a means of survival, or something to be conquered as a man or woman must conquer fear, so much as prey to be devoured. Something to be enslaved, squeezed for all it was worth, and brutalized until it bears no resemblance to what it once was.

This is how Saiyans, the great 'apes' of space, the most brutish, the most foolish of the universe's children regarded space. Foresight, honour, even consideration for consequences were and are typically foreign to them. With no exceptions, save for two peculiar third-class Saiyans, one Bardock who had just had foresight enforced upon him, and one Paragus who was about to have his good fortune, turned into his worst-nightmare.

All from the 'great' king of the Saiyans, Vegeta to his son, the ill-tempered and immature twelve almost thirteen years old son, the crown prince, to the second class councillors, to Nappa the former head of the Saiyan fleets, to the lowest of third-classes were unable to foresee what lay ahead of them. Should one stomp upon those below them, or bite at the hands of those above, retribution, would surely someday come for them.

Oddly, this lack of vision, lack of consideration would save not just one Saiyan infant, but two of them. One being the aforementioned Bardock's youngest son, Kakarot (later to be known as Goku), and the other being the daughter of two lesser though no less promiscuous, brutal Saiyans of the same rank as he, though unlike Bardock, there was no trace of nobility of spirit within them.

"Power level of three, can you believe that?" Asked Karn of his peer, as they moved carried the infant girl who they hadn't bothered to cloth, only to place her in the designated pod.

"Ouch, what'd the parents say?" Chize asked, another large Saiyan he hardly gave the subject of their conversation much more, than a passing glance.

"Nothing, claimed they don't have a kid, since she's so damn puny and left it to the doc to name her," Was the shrugged reply.

"Suppose, she'll be good for nothing, not even proper breeding in a few years," Chize commented indifferently, as he turned away, "Least, she keeps quiet."

"Yeah, now Paragus' kid there's a real fighter, and then there's Kakarot, I mean he's got a power level of six, but at least he's got a good set of lungs on him." Karn remarked as he sealed the pod closed, only to click at another two buttons, before backing away as the ship was shot out from the planet, up and out of the atmosphere, and off into space.

"Yeah, though where could high command possibly send such a useless brat, as that one?"

"To some place called 'Battle-World', must be a chump's idea of battle, given how puny she is," Karn explained breezily, indifferent to the child's life when he added, "Dunno why the doc even bothered giving her a name, if she's just going to go off and die."

"What name did he give her?"

"Call-something-ah that's it, Callion!" Karn said straining his few braincells to remember anything beyond his growling stomach, and throbbing desire for a good mating, in that moment, notions that Chize agreed with, as they both soon went their separate ways, to go fulfill their own needs.

Little did they know that, this would be the last dawn of Planet Vegeta. Neither they, nor the doctors, nor the newborn Callion's parents could have possibly known, what was in store for them. That that would be the last day Vegeta saw, that though the sun had risen, by the time it was dark, it would be time for justice to rain down upon this planet of monsters, who would suffer the wroth of their master, which they had inflicted upon the universe a million times, with far more savagery and barbarism.

The pod containing the baby girl would speed across space, with very few even aware (or caring) of her existence, only to land on a rusty almost red world, lightyears from the asteroid belt that was now planet Vegeta. Crashing down, it would open, as the cries of the baby would be heard, by some who approached.

The baby's mewling and thrashing caught the attention at first by the inhabitants that approached it. As one reached for her, there would be a flurry of kicks and bites that would then catch the attention of one of the people behind the others.

"Quite the energy. This little one has quite the spirit." The man approached the pod.

"She's going to be perfect here on Battle-World!" Another agreed, as communications were sent out, and that's how it started.

Battle-World; a world for gladiatorial combat on a galactic scale. Anyone who's anyone has been here. Rumour has it that even King Cold is a regular customer here. The slaves sold here in the pits fight and kill to try to reach the top. And those that do, learn to enjoy certain luxuries. Celebrity gladiators enjoy fame, infamy in some cases, and wealth.

It wasn't unusual for the games to buy young promising children and infants, and the spirit this one baby showed, had caught everyone's eye. This now-rare acquisition would most certainly change the history of this world.

Most notably, one of the most popular fighters of this world, said to be a demon of a fighter called Ban, hadn't met the child yet, and when he woke up that day, he had a grim disposition. He was a survivor of yet another planet and species that was now considered extinct, planet Kanassa.

Leaving his gladiatorial cell, it was odd that someone of his repute and fame would prefer a simpler room, but he had grown adjusted to living in a more rudimentary manner. The elite slaves all had their own cells, and the best of the best could request luxuries for personal reasons.

Heading down to the mess-hall for breakfast, he would sit down at his table, in silence, focusing on his thoughts. After a few minutes a few other slaves were muttering at a neighbouring table.

"That meteor was a space pod. I hear it's from Chillian space." One smaller alien gossiped.

"I also hear that the person in it was a baby of alien origins. The baby was sent to the Battle-World nursery. I doubt it will survive." There were chuckles amongst them, but the one slave was thinking about a dream he had the night before.

"Hey Ban! What do you think?" A third asked out loud, in a casual tone.

Ban, the silent elite slave turned and simply answered bluntly. "If **she**'s strong, she'll survive. If not, she'll die."

"You do have a point, Ban. That is the law here." The second alien, a bug type race conceded the point.

Ban thought for a moment. _'She's a Saiyan, if my dream is right. The same people that have recently destroyed mine. I could destroy her where she stands but…' _

He closed his eyes for a moment, then when he opened them, he saw a woman of short stature, but intense studying eyes on a faraway planet. She had a large bald man, and a short man with spiked hair next to her, and once he turned around, there were other creatures facing them. A short bald monk, a child, a tall Namekian with a turban and a cape, a man with three eyes, a pale white youth and a wild looking man all of whom would likely be welcome in the gladiatorial matches.

Once he turned to look at the woman again, she smiled at him fiercely, as she opened her mouth to speak. "Killing for revenge is easy. The greatest revenge is served cold."

"Hey Ban!" Suddenly knocked out of his reverie, he turned to see a female slave. "Everything okay? You seem a little out of it."

He was back on Battle-World. He took a deep breath and muttered a simple "Sure. Yeah. Everything okay. I've got a battle later today. Going to prepare my armour."

He walked through the slave pens and areas deep in thoughts. Some of the guards looked a little concerned as he seemed distracted. He would tune them out and he would obey the directions without a thought.

Without realising it, he came to the nursery. It was comfortable enough for the infants, and it served for young fodder, abandoned by the galaxy, for pleasure in combat.

He looked inside and observed the incubators and cribs. His eyes laid on the one baby that was brought in, and he looked at the chart.

"Wow. That new baby has a power level of 3. Saiyan or no, she's going to get wiped out by the time she's 6." One guard joked.

Another chuckled. "Come on. Babies are all that weak. I give her 9 years old."

'_No… she's a fighter… I can feel it. Revenge would be easy, but…' _He looked at the helpless baby, sleeping, Fists curled up, looking relaxed. Possibly innocent.

* * *

The years passed as if in seconds, as the young Saiyan grew up. By 4 years of age, she had learnt the laws of Battle-World well. She'd been in a few battle royals against other slave children, but she was concentrating. Her hands in front of her, she recalled something she saw in several of Ban's matches. He was skilled at a particular art.

He could make weapons appear with his own energy. She felt something in her, begin to take shape between her hands. In her head, she had a sharp blade, and she wanted to make it true. Silence was embraced, and the music of meditation filled her being.

"Hey baby-3! Wacha doin? Cryin' for Ban?" A young child of a bird-like alien race approached her.

"Watch who you call baby-3, ya bird-brained idiot!" Callion barked back, her concentration completely shot. Aware that the other youngsters called her that, due to the reading of her power level when she crashed, on the planet. Her opponent decided that this would be an easy target.

"Yer out, baby-3!" flapping his arms he charged headfirst, focusing his energy into his claws, wanting to shear his target.

Flying at high speed, within seconds, he swooped in close to slash at her, but when his claws seemingly touched his target, he felt nothing but air. Then there was a sudden pain in his gut. He looked down, to find what looked like a dagger made of pure energy.

The hand gripping it was Callion's, with the Saiyan gladiator growling softly. Her opponent fell like a brick, as she shifted her shoulder to toss him over that same shoulder, onto the ground. Breathing heavily she looked at her opponent bleeding on the ground, and then at the blade in her hand. She wished for something big that could make a difference, but only saw a small dagger.

There was a hint of disappointment in the girl's eyes, "That's it? I wanted a bigger one!"

Another of the children charged her from behind, but the girl heard the footsteps coming, turned around and instinctively slashed with her new weapon. This was followed by the blood splattering from a vital wound from the other child. With the momentum, his body fell forward as the young Saiyan tried to jump out of the way. His body landed on her lower torso, pinning her to the ground. With all her strength she mustered. She looked around at the other competitors in the large dome. There were many that were soaked in blood. Some their own, some were covered in their victims' blood.

Callion had to get loose. If not, she would be easy prey for another competitor. The one she killed was about a head and a little bigger than her. Getting loose would be a matter of leverage. As she struggled, she noticed a fish-like alien that had just finished his opponent and was looking for another victim.

This fish-like infant was her rival, an alien known to all as Ishwa. He was a sadistic bully that always found an excuse to push some of the other young children in the cells around. He kept bullying for the best bunks, for the biggest portions of food, and even the prize food, pillows, blankets and other such things from hard earned battles.

Turning and looking for his next victim, he turned and looked at Callion. He looked with a malevolent grin. His laugh mocked the pinned young warrior. "Hehe! Callion! Or should I say the third-rate baby! Looks like It's my lucky day!" He approached the child, his hand glowing with energy. As she cursed, he started gloating. "So how did the baby get stuck there?"

"I killed him! Just like I'll kill you, Ishwa!" She snarled back, trying to find some sort of leverage from the corpse above her, she wriggled like she never wriggled before. Releasing the dagger, letting it vanish, trying to get her legs free.

"You killed him? Yeah right! More like he killed himself just to land on you!' The aquatic being just laughed, "How many times do I have to tell you, Callion! The strong live, the weak just drop dead!" Looking at his victim struggling to free herself, and freeing her one leg, he launched an energy blast at said leg. It didn't deal any lethal damage, but it injured it. In response, he just laughed. "Woops! I dropped my blast! Here have some more!"

With a laugh, the little psychopath launched weak blasts at the helpless girl. After 4 dozen small blasts, she growled out. "Is that all you've got! Stupid!" This got him angry as he continued with more ki-blasts directed at her. She withstood the damage, as her armour got shredded, and her body was getting battered, with blood flying. This scene caught the camera's attention, as the gore of Battle-World was a fan favourite.

In the slave pens, slaves were watching the match. Most slaves would ignore these matches. Some liked to see the promising young talent. Others became sadists in order to better survive this dark world. Another favourite pass-time, for these slaves just like the wealthy and celebrated guests, seated up above them, was to gamble on the match-ups.

"Looks like Callion's going bye-bye. Guess I win again, Ven." One blue humanoid cockily commented to another.

"It's a wonder 'ow you ever made it this far in the matches, Ridge. Ishwa is makin' a bad mistake." A female cat-like alien with scars that would make master warriors bow their heads. Her voice sounded heavily accented. "It ain't over 'til the last minute. Just a second can make the difference." She explained herself. She turned to another person who was watching the match. "Oi Ban! Watchin' another match wit' lil Callie?"

Ban was watching intently at the events unfolding, on the huge above them. He stood there for a moment, quiet as the dead. His thoughts were on another tournament ring. A tournament from a dream, he had last night. This one had a boy dressed in orange, and an old bearded man. What had caught his attention, at the time and still arguably held it, even hours after he had awoken, was the boy's tail.

He then felt a hand slap his shoulder lightly. "Oi! Ban! Listen ta me wen I'm talkin'!" He turned to look at Ven and Ridge. He looked at the scene in the battle and spoke up with a smirk.

"She's going to win. He lost his chance, and his arrogance is only going to hand her the victory." He stated calmly, partially mocking Ridge.

In the fight, the energy blasts kept coming as Callion fought through the pain.

"What's wrong? Begging yet for mercy?" Ishwa taunted.

"Is that it? My Dead Gramma can do more damage than that!" The pinned girl returned the taunt with interests. This got a vein in the fish boy's head to throb, as he returned to blasting.

"Can your stupid dead gramma do this!" Out of anger, he launched another blast that hit her midback, but the explosion launched the body on top of the girl off of her, freeing her from her position.

In one swift motion, she was on her feet, with a ki-blast of her own shot down at the ground behind her, pushing her towards the bully, in a death charge. Calling forth the dagger she had made earlier, she thrusted the small energy weapon into her opponent.

For a moment, everything stood still. Ishwa looked down and found an energy dagger in his lower chest cavity. He was shocked and looked at her with a flabbergasted look in his eye

"How… How dare you! I'm hurt! How dare you! I don't get hit! I'm bleeding… Help... I'm bleeding! I…"

Out loud the horn blasted, indicating the end of the battle royal. The living children proceeded to line up, a judge evaluating the slaves still breathing. Half of the children were sent back to the pens, and after what was considered an intermission with the audience, 15 minutes later, the seats were filled again. The MC stepped on his floating stool that allowed him to levitate over the stadium. "Now, it's time to vote for the MVP! Gambling booths will be open for you wall to turn in your betting tickets."

The children lined out, entering the slave preparation area, to find the next slave gladiators preparing. Some of the older slaves came to assist the young fighters who came out of the ring to remove armour, and herd them out to a common area. Several medical employees observed the slaves and took the more injured ones to a medical area for recovery. Proper triage and medical care allowed for healthier, stronger slaves to continue to entertain crowds. Even celebrity slaves like Ban have nearly died in a few matches. And if too many slaves die, one would need to buy more slaves, which can get pricey. Especially if there are rare races like Saiyans to be bought. An officer approached the children in the line, excusing the least injured, those with artificial, little to no injuries, to proceed to the cafeteria, to the cells, or to the waiting area. Finally arriving at Callion, her injuries given to her by Ishwa were looked over, meticulously, with the stoic doctor looking bored, typed something on his datapad. He finally spoke up.

"Medical unit, green ticket. Minor injuries that can aggravate if not tended." Pointing to the medical room, Callion followed, a little fidgety. She didn't like to wait in line. A green ticket meant that she could wait after the life-threatening injuries, and the crippling injuries which is a red ticket, the major injuries or the fractures would be the yellow tickets, and the green ticket is for other minor injuries, or damage that does need to be tended to, but there's no immediate emergency.

The little girl, looked around at the hustling and bustling, as some slaves from a waiting area came into the preparation zone, going to some booths. Slaves were not able to bet money, but the management decided to monopolise on the fact that slaves already were betting various things already between each other. Keeping track of the bets allowed the management to minimize personal quarrels between slaves, or even let some escalate for marketing purposes. (A good rivalry that goes on for months, sometimes years at a time allowed for fans to pick a particular team, which can increase revenue for marketing and selling team or slave memorabilia in the Battle-World gift shop.) It also helped the management know who was betting food, personal weapons, sometimes books, even sexual services and time for specific training in the training area.

With the various gambling booths also came the ability via how they were organized and with their colours, to know who one was affiliated with or which political group one preferred, as all gambling booths were also under the influence of the Red Team and Orange Team. Two cliques of gladiatorial fans that dominated Battle-World's political rule, administration, law-codes and how the various matches were organized, as the selection of who fought against whom, was sometimes organized via votes (with the voting system having long since been hacked by both teams).

But much as Callion, was aware of all this and of how Battle-World was organized, she didn't pay it much mind. It had never much mattered to her. She was a slave, and a gladiator. That was all, and all she expected from her life, and at her age. Though, it didn't much feel like slavery or like being stripped of something at all, she had freedom of speech, she had the right to do what she wanted, go where she wanted yet had no interest in anything save the ring, satisfying her curiosity and staying close to her greatest friend and only hero.

She had more important things than politics or sports teams on her mind, to begin with, she had one 'great' thing in mind to be quite honest. With her quick to let everyone know this, a heartbeat later when she failed to locate this 'thing' or person to be more accurate.

"Ban! BAN! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNN! Where are youuuuuuuu?" She called out loudly, barrelling forward, through even other gladiators. The little girl memorized where her hero liked to be.

Combing through the cafeteria, cells and public areas, the little Mexican jumping bean finally found her target. He was in the resting room. This was a room for the gladiators where many would meditate, or unwind for a hard battle, or even mentally prepare for one. Callion found Ban in a meditative position. Most would avoid noise in this relaxing room.

Not the little torpedo.

"Ban! Ban! Ban! Didja see my battle? I used your power! I wanted a giant sword, but I could only do a knife. Hey Ban! Can you hear me? Can ya? Can ya?" She jumped all over the still warrior, jumping from his head, to his arm, to even hopping on his back. Finally, he sighed.

"Can't I have a moment to meditate?" He spoke out loud, in an exasperated way. She stayed still for a minute, which if he opened his eyes, he would see that it was physically painful for her to stay frozen stiff, just waiting for him to respond. From one perspective it looked like she was vibrating in place. He decided to stand up and look straight ahead at the wall in front of him. "It may seem like a simple ability, but it takes a true warrior to master each and every form you can present, kid." He walked forward, aware that he had his little shadow following him.

"Ban, can you teach me how to make them bigger? I wanna slash and swoosh my enemies! And you're the best at weapon fighting!" The girl requested the champion gladiator.

"Callion, just because a weapon may seem larger, and give off a bigger explosion, it doesn't mean it's better. If it doesn't hit the intended target, and deal the damage you intend to inflict, then such a weapon is useless, and only a fool would waste such energy. They deserve to die, understood?" The man strictly made a statement, that sounded like a harsh scolding.

"So, a huge sword can be useless?" The girl asked curiously.

"In the hands of an amateur, yes. A dagger can also be useless. Either can be dangerous, because you can hit yourself. But in the hands of a master…" The two arrived in the training area, as Ban turned to one of the guards, who flicked a button, which allowed both of their collars to turn a different colour, to enable ki usage in the training room only. This was conditional, and heavily observed. The guards were also ki trained, in order to properly combat any rebellious slaves. The duo then went into a domed room, and a training droid approached. Ban then charged his energy in his hand, as a two-foot sword appeared, and the droid then went from a cylinder to a humanoid form. The voice of the robot spoke up.

"Enter Training routine."

"Basic foe." Ban replied, holding his sword upwards.

"Acknowledged." The droid charged the gladiator, as he delayed his strike, usually he would respond sooner, but he wanted to drive home a point. After a few seconds, he then brought down his sword, and swiped it left after it reached the lowest point, followed by a right slash at the neck, then a left swipe at the leg joints. The robot then fell to pieces after the two charged.

"It can be a fearsome weapon. That dagger you formed made a difference. A sword would have been too much energy for you, and you would have at least a yellow or red ticket. You have to know your limits." The giant of a man was speaking stoically. His voice resonated with conviction and faith in his own skill. "Can I ask you a very important question, Callion?" The man turned to the girl with a stern look. She nodded curiously, absorbing all the information. "What is a warrior's greatest weapon?"

The girl fell deep in thought, thinking of her options. After about a minute of mental deliberation, she got an idea. "Ki? You can turn it into whatever attack you want!" The girl stated eagerly.

"Wrong. It is this." He answered by kneeling down in front of her, pointing at her head with his finger. "A powerful attack can be more lethal to oneself, if one doesn't know how to use the attack properly."

"So, the smarter fighter wins more, and It's better to hit an enemy than to make a big explosion?" The girl summarized as much as she could, a rather focused look on her face. This conclusion got a head nod from the man, as he left the training area.

"Come. You need to meet with the medical staff for your post battle check ups, and I have a battle in two hours." Before they left, he thought for a moment. "Next week, when we've recovered from battle, I'll show you how to fight with a dagger. We can start from there and move our way to other weapons you can make."

* * *

Dreams mean so many things. Some think it's a window into the subconscious of the mind. Others dismiss it as visual images in sleep, and nothing more. However, there are some that believe that dreams can predict the future.

But for a Kanassan, dreams can mean a variety of things. They can be the past, the present or the future. What was odd, was predicting for years about the same few people. Amongst this race, this would be indicative of a group of people that would influence the future of the world.

Ban sighed as he got up from his bed. The day before, he got a vision of the one male Saiyan, meeting a girl, and destroying a vehicle. Something about a monster. It wasn't surprising that a Saiyan would be barbaric. But he got very familiar with this one person.

Following that, he went to bed, and had another vision, of a young man with one hand, fighting a young man and woman valiantly, and nearly destroying them, only to face his death, like a warrior. He has seen visions of this man as well.

He put his thoughts of these visions aside for the time being. The fish-like alien had an important tournament battle, as the highest-ranking gladiators of the various ranked groups would be doing elimination battles to see who would come out on top. As the reigning champion, he had a reputation to uphold. Even if it was solo matches, a lot of those from the red and orange teams did a lot to try to get the top position. This person would have much more sway over fans, and over the politics. Unfortunately for them, Ban was an odd unaffiliated gladiator. Both teams didn't like his constant refusal to join either team, and many who didn't like to join the teams preferred it that way. One team having too much power could cause a huge power struggle.

Finishing his breathing techniques, he got up from his position, clearing his mind for the battle ahead, when he walked up to the Arena gates. The previous matches were the elimination battles of the younger gladiators. This was done to warm up the audience for the main show of the day.

The current match was the young Saiyan Callion against a top ranking 9-year-old named Tove. She sadistically launched energy blasts at the 5-year-old, watching her prey hop around to avoid the attacks with grace, as the announcer was narrating the battle with gleeful enthusiasm.

"Callion avoids the energy blast with absolute grace! But she needs to do more than just dodge! Tove has her on the run! What's this? Uh oh! This looks bad for the young Saiyan!"

Callion tripped on a rock, as she avoided an attack, that sent her to the ground. Keeping in mind her lessons, she picked up a large rock in front of her, and although Tove was charging a bigger attack, she threw with all the might she could muster from her position, as the other girl chuckled for a second, only to get the stone crash right in her left kneecap. The sudden onslaught of pain from a shattered kneecap got the older girl letting out a howl of pain for a brief minute, as she worked to get herself in a solid kneeling position. Callion on the other hand took the opportunity to get up from the ground and charge at full speed, focusing her energy on her reliable energy knife that became her trademark in the ring.

"Wow! Howzat for a come back! It all comes down to this! Can Tove land the attack? Or will Callion obliterate the competition! The glorious pain forces the older Tove to dig in for a final painful attack? Or will we see that beautiful blood pouring all over from little Calli's knife, her energy fang? Don't blink or you'll miss the glorious ending!"

Tove focused her small energy blast, and wanted to launch a blast, but her opponent's speed was faster than she expected. The smaller, yet nimble girl was now but half a meter in front of the kneeling competitor, the moment's hesitation being a fatal mistake. Callion plunged the energy knife into her opponent's chest, releasing a fountain of blood from the older child, as she crashed to the ground.

In the gladiator area, Ban, heard the results on the radio wave, and was greeted by Ven in her armour. "Oh man! Look at that blood! Isn't that great! This is what this is all about! But enough with the junior matches! Now it's going to be time for the real blood to spill! Next match, we have the pirate king of Battle World! Now we have an hour intermission before the official tournament! Take this time to buy your souvenirs, put up some bets, and tackle the concession stands!"

"Oi Ban! The wee one came out on top! She got good wit'da knife o'hers!" Ven teased her friend, about the knife fighting skills.

All she received for her glowing praise, was a stoic almost indifferent glance. One that unnerved even her.

At five years old, Callion had proven herself once again, just as she had the year before, this time though, after a long and exhausting battle between herself and Ven, she had triumphed. Some had been bewildered to find a five-year-old, capable of beating an old gladiator, with Ven's amount of experience and skill, whilst others were unsurprised.

Ven herself, was stunned to find herself lying there, in the dirt barely conscious, after a blow to her forehead which had left her feeling concussed, with her own blade at her throat. It was the sort of loss that, she had dealt out to other countless times, in the past.

As a fighter, she had long since known that to suffer a second loss, would likely result in her death. Her first loss had been nineteen years prior, to Ban himself (who was considered the 'King of the Arena'), and that one had completely flabbergasted her. Almost as much as it had pushed her to train far more, than she had ever trained before, in the hopes of someday toppling the undefeatable Ban.

This loss, to a five-year-old could have destroyed any other gladiator's career, it could have and had resulted in the deaths of many others.

"Got you, Ven!" Callion cheered heartily, her bruised, bloodied face filled with eager joy as she almost leaped up and down, with Ven's own battle-axe mere inches from the older female's throat.

"Yeah," Ven whispered, still filled with pain and stunned by her own complete and utter loss, the sort that she had made a career over the course of forty-three years to studiously avoid.

"WOW! What a great victory on the part of Callion, the prodigy of the arena, has proven once again that she can dish it out as well as she could dish it in. The only trouble is if only she could have spilled a bit more blood in order, to-" The announcer went off, excitedly going over the key-points of the battle, as the two females stared each other down.

"Finish it, Cal. Ya know as well as I, that a loss like this is final," Ven murmured to the young girl she had always doted upon with almost the same sort of affection that, one might bear for a niece or daughter.

"Ahhh, don't be that way Ven, I beat you but the worst to be done, is to brag about this over supper to Ban… get it?" And Callion started to snort with laughter at her own pun, only for the older woman to almost beg for death in place, of these horrid puns.

Saying so, Callion raised the battle-axe and tossed it over her shoulder, as lightly as though it were a feather rather than a weapon that could have cleaved through solid stone or metal. Callion extended a tiny hand towards her opponent, in a chivalrous gesture that Ban had taught her and that startled the crowd.

There was silence amongst the crowd. Many would be stunned to find a young child beating a grown fan favourite veteran like this. After a long minute without a sound in the audience, there was a large cheer.

"Wow. Now that's not something you see every day! Our little genius has taken one of our champions! But here's the bigger question! When is the little knife fighter Callion going to draw some blood?" The announcer asked out loud.

Surprised by this, Ven stared for several seconds at her. Only to break out into an explosion of giggles and mirthful laughter that was soon shared by the victor of this month's competition. Theirs had been supposed to be an exhibition match, and yet it had turned more savage, more competitive and far more explosive a sight than any fan or fighter could have expected.

Ven took it, only to remark with a snicker and a smirk, "It may be yuir victory, but next time will be mine, lass."

"Yeah right, next time will be even more humiliating for you," Callion drawled cheerily, as confident now as she was of her future victory, a future victory that would never be, as the two would never face off against each other in a coliseum match such as this. Their next battle, would be of a more violent, desperate sort. The kind that would shake and break Battle-World, and that would in time break Callion and plunge her into an abyss of hatred and pain.

"Hah, lassie ye have no idea what I'll unveil next time we battle," was the older woman's retort wincing as she was helped to her feet, only to glance up towards the Lord of Battle-World, only to see him in a deep discussion with several other officials. Evidently, her survival was still up in the air, but as the crowd cheered at this gesture of chivalry and called Callion's name, the decision was soon taken out of [name]'s hands. "Ugh, I hope Ban didn't see this battle-"

"BAN! Wait until I tell him!" Callion gushed, as her eyes became wide as saucers right before she disappeared in a flurry of tiny legs and smoke that left even the bewildered and highly bemused Ven coughing, as much as the fans did. Her cries were soon heard throughout the cells and underground mini-city of gladiators and the great coliseum that dominated Battle-World. "BANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBAN!"

This great cry (or series of cries?) echoed as she charged through the home of the gladiators, and past guards and gladiators who spun about from the force of how fast she raced past them, or were tossed into the air as she failed to take notice of them, as she charged past them.

Ecstatic at this victory of hers, Callion would never have believed in a thousand years that she could have outfoxed and beaten down Ven, had anyone told her this a mere hour ago, she'd have disbelieved it. Yet as she raced along, in search of Ban's quarters, she felt her excitement, her pride well up from within her, as she needed to inform her father-figure else she would explode with excitement.

As to Ban, the great terror of a good chunk of the universe, he was in his quarters in the midst of Marcus Aurelius' words. It wasn't common for Earth books to make their way, out into space yet he had managed to steal this book, on his last raid, with this book being a real gem that had intrigued and fascinated him ever since he had first read it.

"'Be like a rocky promontory against which the restless surf continuously pounds; it stands fast while the churning sea is lulled to sleep at its feet.'" Murmured Ban pleased by these words, they were amongst his favourite, well he had many favourites from this little tome that had brought him more peace, more satisfaction than any other book ever could have.

Philosophy was a waste of time, to some such as mindless Saiyan princes or those as mad as say Frieza, but to those who could think, could cultivate more than simple muscles, it was a necessity. And for one who knew of the darkness that lay ahead, and would not shirk or hide from it, it was all that he had left to cherish, to truly cherish.

He was in the midst of meditating on those words, what they meant for the future and what they would signify for Callion. And for the man in orange, who had died amidst blood, smoke and rain, all for hope and with far more courage than any other man had ever held in his heart.

'Much like his father, that one,' Ban mused as he pondered what this courage, this inherent goodness could mean for the future, and the role Callion had to play in all this. She would have an important role, but the central stage was set for the Namekian and the boys in orange, not for her. She was but a companion, an ally while the central position was held by those around her.

Ban who was seated cross-legged in the middle of his room, nearly fell over as he jumped and narrowly evaded several heart-attacks, as a voice echoed loudly as Callion burst into his room.

"BANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBAN! DID YOU SEE?! DIDYOUDIDYOUDIDYOUDIDYOUDIDYOU?! I BEAT VEN! ITWASGREAT, IWONBY-"

Listening to her was tortuous, and Ban was visibly annoyed with the veins in his forehead looking as though they may burst at any given moment, in turn though Callion was largely oblivious to this. It didn't matter over-much to her, as she had something so incredible to tell him that, she was sure it would secure her a pat on the head, a smile and praise that she so hungrily craved.

"Breathe!" He stated sternly to the hyperactive girl, that finally settled down, practically vibrating in place. For a full 20 seconds, she just stood there, as he sighed himself. "Yes, I saw. You are becoming a warrior in your own right." As he put his hand on her head, as she smiled like that head-pat was the greatest gift the universe was blessed with. For a child, such a blessing was worth more than all the wealth in the universe.

Looking around as the green monstrosity finally killed the boy of hope, destined to save time itself, there was nothing of the boy and his mother left, except their clothes. The monster of hatred was like nothing the gladiator has ever seen in his entire life. He made even the space tyrant Freeza, and his brother, the galactic emperor Cooler nothing more than lambs to the slaughter. The monster looked around, and the mighty Ban could have sworn, that this… being of personified hell looked straight at him.

This woke him from his meditation with a cold sweat, as he looked at the colourful orange sky in front of him. He knew there was something special about this sunset.

Long did he sit there, examining the sunset. His thoughts on a faraway day, a far darker day when hope would be extinguished and the future would be all but destroyed. This green creature, which had stepped out of a test-tube, would he then, plunge the universe into darkness. This was the farthest his visions had taken him, and he sincerely wished that they hadn't.

If only he hadn't seen so far, seen so much more than his own people ever could have, he'd have gone to his grave happy and relieved in the knowledge that the pink-haired boy, his teacher, the heroic half-Saiyan son of the third-class Saiyan, had guaranteed peace. This knowledge was enough, to make even Ban question the point of his entire life, or what awaited Callion.

While he could snip her tail, change the future by taking her away from Battle-World, and try to have her join with the heroes of that distant world, in the hopes of changing the future. He knew deep down, the truth of what such an action would be rooted in; cowardice. He was no coward, no Frieza or Saiyan Prince to flee from shadows or hide from the universe and all that it held in store for him. Death came to all. Death had no mercy, and Yama had no patience for cowards or louts.

Ban would face the future, the same way he had faced everything else, and he would have Callion face the darkness that lay in store for her, the same way; with honour. She would suffer far more, than anyone could imagine, yet such was the path that the universe had carved out for her. She would either have to shrink from it (_'impossible'_, he thought), or face it with all the strength and vigour that, he had taught her to have.

His musings of the future, his reaffirmation of honour and of what it had to mean to Callion, widely considered the lowest-born Saiyan to have graced the universe for a thousand years, were interrupted by a familiar voice. One that he had awaited for sometime, but had temporarily forgotten about, due to being lost in his own dark thoughts.

"This is a good hidin' place Ban! Naht yuir usual place. Wat brings ya here to watch the sunset?"

Thinking for a moment, he took a deep breath. He knew this was the night. His race was accustomed to dealing with moments that defined time and space.

"You're a good friend, Ven." He spoke to his friend. She was startled by this openness.

"Wot's wit' the sentimentality? It's not yuir style!" She commented back.

"Because it's the last sunset of Battle-World." This startled the cat girl.

"Wot are you blathering about?" She remarked with a playful smirk on her lips, the doubt in her eyes plain for him to see, not that it bothered him in the slightest. "Uh-huh, right and pink elephants are gonna pop on by tomorrow, right?" She mocked at some length after a few moments, with a small smirk on her lips,

"I knew Battle-World was doomed shortly after arriving here myself. I only found out why about a few days short of seven years ago." This surprised the woman.

"Really? And why haven't ye prepared for it, hmm?" Ven asked him, still not believing him for a second, clearly she believed he had lost his mind.

"Because the person in question is going to have a major role in events to come, and this needs to happen." After a moment of silence, he asked her one last favour. "Can you go send for Callion, Please?"

"Umm, okay I guess, I'll tell her to use small words," This got her shocked, as she realised what was going to happen. "But why, send for her if it is the end of the world?" The mockery was back, with a hint of concern for his mental health.

"Because she is going to be a powerful warrior, and she will change the course of history. It won't be easy for her, but she's going to need to be strong." Ban looked intently at the sunset, focusing on all his sensations. "I've moved her space shuttle nearby. I won it in a tournament, and kept it in my large reward vault."

"So that's wot ye did with it, always wondered about that, either way if this planet is to end tonight, I'll fight it." She retorted with a hint of seriousness, but he only chortled joylessly in response.

"You won't be able to do it." He said that in a sullen way. This shocked her. He always did have a way to see right through people, despite his silent ways. "It's been an honour, Ven. I'm sorry about what will happen."

She nodded, not knowing what to think. It's one thing to occasionally hear about his visions, but one such as this one, was too unbelievable for her. He was always intrigued by this one fellow from earth. She was also curious about him, whatever little he spoke of his visions. Usually when he drank a few too many. (And good luck with that. He had one of the top 3 constitutions when drunk).

"Can you send for Callion, please?" The awkward silence took over them, as she left, only for fifteen minutes later, the little girl to hurry on out after being cautioned that he was in a delicate state of mind. Something which she instantly brushed off with her usual, rambunctious inattention.

"Ban! Ban! Ban! I finally found you! Why were you hiding here?" The energetic child clung to her role model, whom though she had succeeded in beating the year prior in an arena-match still retained a god-like position in her mind.

Her innocence was enough to make even the greatest of warriors gush, her savagery and passion for violence, enough to make other children quail. These were facts that Ban had witnessed with his own two eyes and heard with his own two ears, as surely as he had already foreseen the end, for himself and Battle-World. And her own distant end.

He studied her long and hard, before he answered, with his silent observation an old habit of his that Callion had once squirmed endlessly under and found disconcerting. Yet now, she was as at ease with it, as she was with Ven's loudness or drunken lechery when the mood over-took the female gladiator.

"Sit down by my side, Callion." Ban instructed as he signaled to the seat next to his own, with the girl rushing to obey. Excited by the prospect of being so close to him, where others would have quailed or feared to so much as touch him, she immediately pressed her head against his side. "Callion, the time has come."

"Huh? What do you mean, Ban?" She asked quirking her head to the side, as she stared up at him in confusion, not understanding his words or the finality in them. To her childish mind this was a day like any other, an evening that was hardly auspicious.

Soon that would change. Soon this would be marked in her memory, as the worst night of her life, when one life ended and a lifetime of slavery would begin. Ban didn't say a word though. Such talk was beneath them. Instead, it was important to inform her of what she needed to now.

"Callion, remember this; For a man can lose neither the past nor the future; for how can one take from him that which is not his? So, remember these two points: first, that each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle, and that it signifies not whether a man shall look upon the same things for a hundred years or two hundred, or for an infinity of time; second, that the longest liver and he who will die soonest lose just the same. For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived, if it is true that this is the only thing which he has, and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not." Ban said at some length, speaking almost more in that moment than he had ever said to the child in all her life, his eyes on hers as she stared up at him in awe.

"That's beautiful, is it poetry Ban?"

"No, philosophy. You must bear it in mind, for the future. For the dark road that awaits you, because all things come around in a circle; and therefore, my dark deeds have come back unto me. You shall gather like gems your own, and thus in time you will have to pay for them. This is absolute, and truly the only great law of the universe. It is why honour is the single-most important virtue in the universe, and the one thing that must never be thrown away, else you will become as a beast. Mindless and living only for the slaughter." Ban instructed her carefully, the passion in his words such that Callion stared at him with as much adoration, as she did amazement, unable to figure out why he was telling her these things. "Do you understand Callion?"

"I think so, you're saying I have to be honourable and be smart else, I'll be little more than an animal, right?" She asked carefully, not fully comprehending all that he murmured to her, with Ban giving a solemn nod, one that she was familiar with and hungered after as another child might hunger after a parent's smile or candy. "But Ban? What do you mean, I'll do some horrid things? I'd never do something you don't want me to."

"It won't matter by then, what I want or think, Callion." Ban replied as he placed a heavy hand upon her dark-haired head, his gaze heavy with solemnness and consternation for the future.

"Why?" Callion asked feeling tears well-up in her eyes at the thought of a life without Ban, it was just too horrible to be true, especially since to live without him would mean living without his wisdom, his cautious yet undeniable intelligence, his careful ministrations and his pats on her head. All of which she lived for.

"Never you mind Callion, know only that when the dusk comes, when twilight reigns over your life and the years grow long. When you have but pain, but savagery and hatred in your heart, know that it wasn't by my own choosing, or yours that that life was thrust upon you. It was the choosing of a monster, and because of the circular nature of the universe. My sins have been grafted unto thy soul, unto the scales that govern your life. Thus, if you must blame someone, blame me for my greed, for my cowardice and for my people's accursed vision." Ban told her sternly, speaking with a plainness, a staunch courage that inspired and frightened her even as he spoke with a finality, she had never heard him or anyone else use before.

"But why would I be angry with you?" She asked unable to follow his logic, or his line of thoughts.

"Because, of what the circle means to people such as yourself and myself, it will come around back unto you Callion. Mark this into your soul, as much as you mark these next few hours into it." Ban told her, turning his gaze to the descending sun, as the moon began to rise for the first time in almost a decade on Battle-World.

It would be some time before another word would be uttered between them, with Callion eager to say more, yet reluctant to break the silence and even more reluctant to upset or annoy Ban. But the old pirate simply sat there, aware of what her thoughts were, and yet he paid them no mind.

He knew Yama awaited him, knew that he had always imagined he'd feel panicked or frightened of what was to come. And yet he simply felt calm. Hell may await him, but it was alright; he had done his part and now it was time for the universe to continue along without him. Honour had been his guide, and there was nothing more to be done.

"Callion remember this also; that at this moment, when fear should have overwhelmed me, calmness came and take comfort in it. You will feel this way too, and know that my end was at least swifter than yours, will be." Ban informed her calmly, as steadfast as ever, as the moon made its final rise and the sun its final descent upon this wretched world.

As Callion began her monstrous transformation. One that would result in the deaths of Ven, of all those who loved her and all those she loved on Battle-World, Ban did not move. He did not fight her, when she crushed him beneath her. Nor did he curse her, or try to save himself or regret. All was as it was meant to be.

His destiny had arrived, and his life-cord had been cut by fate. His last thoughts as he ignored the transformation into the Giant Ape, was to wonder about just how beautiful the orange of this last sunset had been. And how, he hoped there was such orangeness in the after-life that awaited him. His other thought, was that he was glad that that monkey-prince and Frieza would suffer slow and horrible deaths for all that they had taken from him, and from the universe.

The next day, when Callion awoke, her last memories being of her and Ban staring at the full-moon, she would awaken next to his broken, lifeless body surrounded by the torn remains of Ven, and all those who had just a few days before loved and cheered her on. As she stared incomprehensibly, a loud wail would burst from her chest and consume her.

It would break and shatter her into a thousand pieces, pieces that would never fully be reknitted back together. For hours, she wailed and wept, crying out her hero's name to the heavens all to no avail, until exhaustion overtook her tiny frame.

When her space-pod soon calling out to her, and lulling her towards it with its gentle voice, she would pass out inside of it.

That gentle voice, that soft call to her, would become the forerunner for all the misery that was to come, for this horrid, wretched day was but the dawn for the night that befell and would for a long time, taint her life.

As the pod took off, with its sleeping passenger, next to none would recall in time Battle-World, and those few who did, would be frightened and forever avoid the planet that was believed to be haunted. Ghosts and bogeyman stories would begin to surround the planet, with none able to figure out what exactly happened upon this planet. At least, not for another two decades, by which time it hardly mattered to many.

The only one who would carry full memories of Battle-World, would be the traumatized seven-years old Callion, who was soon carried off to a Chillian battleship where she would be received with unmitigated shock and alarm.

Zarbon dashed through the ship with the incredulous news. A matter that was forgotten in the files, came to light with the return of a pod. He was rather anxious about this matter, having triple and quadruple checked the files aboard the pod, and confirmed that which was a concern to his lord and master Frieza.

The green narcissist gulped, as he stepped towards the doors that slid open. Frieza was in his floating chair, looking at space. Approaching the powerful leader, the green administrator went to his knee, bowing to him.

"Lord Frieza, I have just finished looking over the pod's records, and confirmed that it was a Saiyan survivor aboard that ship. She came from Battle-World. It has been cleared."

Frieza froze for a second, staring at the endless void with a different face. That day was so good and relaxing. He cleared a planet and made a very good price on it. But this had him worried. He had a fearful prophecy over his head. After a moment of heavy silence, that felt like an eternity to the Frieza-force administrator, Frieza responded. "A Saiyan? How did such a monkey survive? And you better have a good excuse prepared, otherwise it'll cost you, your head Zarbon."

The lord looked like he was debating the entire issue. He had a pensive look in the reflection of the window. Zarbon took a deep breath, and decided the blunt response would be best. "The child was sent as an infant the same morning of the destruction of planet Vegeta. Hence why we didn't have the paperwork, for it."

Frieza's frown was quite off putting. There are times when Frieza is in such a mood that he'd kill an officer simply for bringing the wrong news and the incompetent way of wording things. Zarbon may have been a good fighter, but he was more of a bureaucrat and politician, than a fighter. Yes, he was vain, but he wasn't stupid.

"And why has she returned now, instead of all the way back when she was first sent?"

"According to the files aboard the vessel, it's because the full moon only shows up once every seven years. According to the record log, she landed on Battle-World three days after the previous full moon." Zarbon fidgeted with his fingers nervously, terrified of what his leader would do next.

Frieza was quiet for another minute, then spoke up. "That makes sense. There were bound to be a few stragglers. Bring her up. Let's meet with this monkey. I hope this breaks the monotony of the past couple months."

It would be twenty minutes, before the girl was brought in. Frieza looked her over with a scowl on his face, and the girl looked around. She looked at the beautiful green man, at the giant, ugly pink thing, and at the floating alien in between them. She lifted her hand, pointing at the creature in the floating chair.

"What's that?" She asked casually, which shocked many in the room. Frieza himself kept his cool demeanor, but he blinked a couple of times. Never has he been asked that by a weaker creature. Not one that lived anyways.

Zarbon responded incredulously. "That's Lord Frieza, and you will obey and treat him with all due respect!"

Dodoria gritted his teeth and turned to the child. "Sounds like someone needs to learn some respect!" the large pink alien clenched his fist to punch the child.

Not bothering to power up, thinking the child was a weakling, due to her low power level, he threw his fist forward, only for her to dodge and thrust a kick forward, only for the foot to be caught in his huge hand.

Dodoria rose with his hand raised to slam the child, to the ground. But what he didn't expect was a small blast that crashed into his inner elbow where he was unprotected, which caused his hand to release his would-be victim. She climbed upon his other arm, as he reached over with his right arm towards her, losing his cool and temper towards the child, he failed to take notice of what the girl was doing.

Seeing an opening, Callion summoned her energy knife, and had a clear window to her target. Jumping towards it, Dodoria, saw no need to bring up his energy at someone so weak. She barely measured a hundred. What could she possibly do to him? He went to go on the offensive, to strike at her, without regard for defense. Seeing her opening, she thrusted her small blade into the open target.

"DODORIA! POWER UP NOW!" The booming voice was heard, as Dodoria responded with his energy aura overwhelming the little girl, that threw her off of him, causing her to crash into a wall. Dodoria, Zarbon and the rest of the crew were scared stiff. Frieza looked angry at the giant pink goliath. "Dodoria. How many times do I say, not to underestimate a foe? Had you not put up your defenses, you would have been dead. And she hardly has a power level over two hundred."

"What? That's not…" Before Dodoria could go on, he was silenced with a look. Zarbon having rediscovered his voice, took the opportunity in hand to demean his rival by continuing the lecture.

"That energy blade was aimed for your eye. She would have pierced through your eye, and struck your brain! How stupid can you you be, Dodoria?" Zarbon followed suit with the glare from his leader.

Turning to the window, thinking deeply, Frieza then came to a realisation. "The monkeys were about to bore me. Now they've gotten interesting again. She may live. I need a new pet. It seems this one's more entertaining than the other four."

Callion grinded her teeth. she didn't like being talked down to, and this Frieza was doing just that, treating her like she's just a flea. Even the slave pens treated her with far more respect.

"What's her power level?" Frieza demanded, coldly looking at the window. One of the secretaries looked at his personal computer.

"According to the pod, her power level is close to 200."

The wicked tyrant grinned. "Good. send her to Romulus." This shocked everyone there. Zarbon spoke up.

"But that planet has an average power level of 500. Why?" The green skinned man wondered why he would send this new 'toy' of his, to her death like this. The reply was curt, cold, and threatening.

"Are you questioning my judgment Zarbon?" Put on the spot, the administrator of Frieza's organisation stammered.

"N...no sire. We w-w-will get on with it right away!"

The staff hurried as their master smiled about possibilities for his machinations. Machinations that served no other purpose than to entertain him, as well as control a certain number of people that could open up possibilities. The girl on the other hand was forced into a new suit, and put in a new pod, and fired off into the expanse of space regardless of her complaints.

Many imagine royalty in many different ways. Many tend to portray them as a very romantic figure of idealism, seeing themselves become a prince or princess in a storybook dream. Others see a romantic partner on a white steed coming to sweep down, to save them from a dragon. But there are some who think of royalty, in a darker manner. Cruel, calculating, downright abusive to the helpless peasants under their heel.

This one, may be closer to the last, with some differences. Vegeta was not a very tall man, even after he had long since left the later years of puberty behind him. But he had attitude to make up for his lack of height. A summon by Frieza was not something many would treat as a good thing. Expecting the worst was smart, and many would be muttering last prayers to walk out alive. Not everyone was as powerful and talented as Ginyu, as analytical and intelligent as Zarbon or loyal and brutal as Dodoria. And even they risked death when facing an angry Chillian.

Vegeta was short, and angry, enough so that the rest of his crew were all as anxious as those who encountered them in the halls. His three companions were not in possession of his self-assured anger. To his right, Nappa was deep in thought, thinking about possible emergency ways to escape if it came to it. He also pondered why the sudden call. They hadn't broken rules recently, at least to his knowledge.

Behind Vegeta was a tall young man about Vegeta's age, with the longest mane known to Saiyans, Raditz. He on the other hand, looked like he was going to die of fright. He was absolutely terrified of his own master, and even more so of his master's master. And to Vegeta's left was the crazed Turles, Vegeta's best friend. This man may have enjoyed his share of savagery, but confronting Frieza? he was busy cursing Frieza's name, and muttering about vengeance for what humiliation he was going to feel next. As he was by no means, Frieza's favourite Saiyan.

The guards in the hall were standing at attention, when the four Saiyans arrived in front of the doors. Vegeta for his part just stomped past them, as they slid open automatically as he barked out, this was a mistake by anyone's standards. As one was supposed to wait to be told that Frieza was ready, to see them. This generated an irritated sigh from the pirate-king, and a grumble from Zarbon.

"Well, Freiza. what did you call me for? I've got places I to be, and this is getting in my way. What gives?"

Some of the soldiers rolled their eyes. They were accustomed to the spoiled tantrums of this prince of a dead world. They had borne witness to more than one scolding, and hurried supplications for mercy on the part, of the foolish royal.

"Pay your respects to Lord Frieza, Vegeta! How dare you address him in such a way!" Dodoria responded, barking back with thrice as much fury, turning from pink to red in an instant.

"Dodoria, calm yourself. Don't let Prince Vegeta bother you." Frieza was in his usual seat, which was turned around, in order for him to face his 'pet'. "Vegeta, we can put aside the usual introductions and pleasantries this time, but in the future… Be mindful of who, you are speaking to!" The Chillian pirate commanded coldly.

The three serving Saiyans knelt even lower from their positions around and behind Vegeta, who followed suit, fearful of Frieza's power. "Apologies Frieza. It won't happen again." The prince didn't dare look his master in the eye. Although he growled silently through gritted teeth, part of him admired the villain. To be feared and admired by many… To control so much... The prince of the dead planet truthfully coveted everything Frieza had.

Frieza's grin was enough to send doubt and emotions of pure dread in the most stalwart of warriors. Observing the mighty Saiyans on their knees in front of the Pirate Lord of space. That's when he looked to the side and gave a look to whomever was there.

"Oh Vegeta… I have quite the treat for you today, one which you'll likely never cease to thank me for. Hehehehe, or to be more exact; someone I'd like you to meet. Callion, come over here." From the right, the twelve-year-old Callion approached Frieza's side, and did something the other Saiyans rarely did. Even Zarbon and Ginyu never truly looked their lord in the eye. She met his gaze, and turned to look at the other Saiyans, who suddenly responded to the young female Saiyan, in utter and open shock.

Nappa was unable to formulate a word with nary a thought coming to his normally competent mind, for several seconds. _'Another Saiyan? How could this be? Why didn't we hear of this sooner?' _The large man looked at the little girl, and his eyes navigated their way to the space tyrant. The amusement in Frieza's eyes made a chill run up the Prince's tutor's back. _'This is not good.' _

The weakest of the Saiyans, Radditz observed her with very different thoughts in mind; so young, and her eyes; so passionate. So young… his hand slipping to his visor, checking her power level. He sighed in relief. _'Finally, not the weakest one in this group anymore… But this has opportunities. If Frieza doesn't toy around.' _

Next the sociopathic Turles was silenced by this news. _'Another one? But a girl? Frieza pulled an ace out of his ass.' _Once he calmed his nerves after another moment, the prince's best friend looked at her in another light. _'At least when she grows a little older, she can be of some use.'_

The prince of Saiyans tried to hide his surprise, but failed miserably. He was shocked at first at this news. _'A new Saiyan? A female at that… Frieza had this little girl all this time and didn't tell me?' _Upset didn't do his feelings justice, as he was livid. But his gears were soon turning. _'This could have possibilities…' _As he turned his cold fury upon the girl, and as his typically sadistic heart clenched with excitement.

"What are you smiling about, Vegeta?" The leader of the space army asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"I thank you for giving me this new underling, Frieza. Hopefully she won't bore me." The haughty prince uttered with all the smoothness of a snake-oil salesman.

"Oh?" Frieza smiled with his mouth, but his eyes weren't. They had a mixture of boredom and irritation. "She won't be in your unit just yet. Until she's ready, Callion will be in my sweet, tender care.

The girl wrinkled her nose at both royal princes. Crossing her arms, she was not impressed with this recent turn of events. _'That's my future unit commander? I'm not impressed. He doesn't measure up to others like Ban.' _Callion thought to herself, rather annoyed. Catching her thoughts, she snorted at her clever wit, without laughing out loud.

Her snort was heard by Frieza, and he smiled, amused at the turn of events. The Chillian prince expected her to look down upon Vegeta, and this made things more interesting for the third most powerful being in the universe.

* * *

Growing up under the thumb of Frieza was a harsh world. Even the luxuries of Battle-World, despite being a slave, was full of rising opportunity, for the strong and talented. But here… Honour was no longer a virtue. The days Callion had trailed after Ban, seemed like a distant past. But to survive, one must forego honour. Thus, in order to survive, she had to become a beast.

Callion learned to complete her missions, but the virtue instilled by her father, yet remained. Patience, and respect for her foes, stayed. She was sometimes slow in her missions, but she was known to be thorough. Her missions also involved learning about her victims, and if they had skills worth learning.

This was to some of Frieza's staff liking, and to others, it was irritating. Frieza himself was sometimes pleased and amused at the competent thinking, and a little irritated at the detail that she would sometimes deliver, at an overdue date. But she was noted to be thorough, and some quirks could be forgiven. Zarbon was not pleased by the lack of punctuality, but he didn't mind her intelligent approach. If something was to be done, it does need to be done correctly. His perfectionism made him respect her, and he did like a well-oiled ship. Ginyu also appreciated the proper track record. He also wanted to insist she learn poses, which she shot him down to his great dismay over the years.

Dodoria on the other hand, was hardly pleased by her, and grew steadily less impressed as time passed. "Just go there and blast them!" Was his opinion on the matter, and Callion always did rub him the wrong way. He did like beating on some of the underlings, so there was that issue between them.

It was a year since her first meeting with the other Saiyans. Callion had grown in power, but subtlety kept her abilities in check, in order to hide her full potential. Training under the thumb of the space tyrant was harsh, if one could even call what he did to her training. With the slave-girl long since accustomed to ignoring the comments about monkeys, she was likewise accustomed to slavery in one shape or another. After-all she had had chains on her wrists since long before, she even knew what they signified.

It had been almost two years, with it being her fourteenth birthday something which meant that Frieza had 'big' plans for such an 'important' day. Calling her to his public chambers, the same one where she had met her Saiyan brothers two years prior. She soon found herself face to face with the four, as she knelt by Frieza's side.

"I want her returned alive, and unscathed." Was the initial order, Frieza then brought out his sarcasm. "I want you children to learn to play nice. Is that understood?"

"Of course, lord Frieza. I swear she'll be brought back alive." The Saiyan prince bowed, but was eager for this mission, he had waited two years for just such a moment. It had been a long two years, which had involved months of rage, of biding his time and of venting his fury upon Radditz who wasn't, anywhere near as much fun a toy as he once had been.

The five Saiyans, Vegeta, Nappa, Radditz, Turles and Callion soon left together on their first mission together. To recount all that took place between them would be impossible, especially in so short a time, yet much of what followed could be considered a good summary of what occurred on Mar Sara.

Arriving on the planet, and breathing the first breath of planet air in a while, Callion looked on, calculating the scenery. The young girl turned to look to the young adult leader, for her orders, Vegeta taking front and center.

"Time to wipe out these weaklings. I won't even have to try." He commented, raising his right hand to open fire, he was brought to a halt by a hand on his shoulder. It was Turles.  
Such an offense would have likely cost, any other man his life or his limb, but this was the one man that the prince had always considered something almost approaching an equal.

"My Prince, this is the perfect opportunity to test our newcomer. Why dirty our hands, when she could do it for us." His smile and tone was that of a silver tongued serpent. A look soon passed between them like there was something else spoke between them, unheard by those around them, with the other three Saiyans exchanging their own look.

Nappa and Callion shared a confused glance, neither one entirely certain what this meant, while Radditz kept his silence. A little more experienced when it came to Vegeta and Turles's cruelties and passions, he soon bore a look of unfettered relief, mixed with nervousness. It seemed he was no longer, the principal 'chew-toy' of the two most evil Saiyans in the universe.

"Very well. Wench. You will wipe out the aliens on this dust ball. I want to see what you're capable of doing. And make sure we finish, by the end of today. I don't want to waste any more time than is absolutely necessary."

"Go ahead and take all the fun out of it." Callion muttered, irritated already at the prospect of having the dubious honour of serving under Vegeta. Already she had a sense, of what the real power-structure of the unit was like, and where her position in the unspoken pecking order was to be.

Cities would be ravaged that day, as Callion blasted and blasted, irritated at the males for just sitting back and viewing the infernal chaos occurring around them.

The young adolescent woman eyed them with a brow furrowed with frustration, as she sighed. She abhorred how she was getting comments from Vegeta, Turles and occasionally, Radditz on how to kill, but she would ignore them, which would irritate Vegeta, anger Radditz, and amuse Turles. The former two weren't used to be ignored, or treated as though they were fools. They were also ill-experienced with women, and had no means to properly gauge or understand the odd temperaments of one, even a still-growing one.

They were nonetheless content on some level. No different than lions who observe the females on the hunt, knowing that the choicest meat and luxuries are theirs for the picking. All this though, would change shortly after they had been there, for three hours.

She was in the midst of levelling a city, when it soon became clear to those around her, what it was she was doing. She was slaughtering the people of this world quickly, and painlessly, not liking to extend the torture. Observing one young man, who was on the ground and alive, he would get up to his feet, defiant, with her response being rather un-Saiyan-like, with this being the incident that gave away her true character.

"Get up, and fight." She ordered him. He got to his feet, but he froze. She sighed irritably only to pick up a nearby sword with her tail, only to press it into her hand and, then it towards him. Before he could pick it up, a blast, came from behind the honour bound warrior, shooting through the man's left side, piercing his intestines and causing them to flop out of the hole, in what soon proved to be a slow and painful death.

"Woops. My finger slipped." Vegeta snorted out, almost laughing.

"Vegeta! I was going to finish him!" Callion roared at the self indulgent royal, as he sneered at her.

"You were going too slow." He sneered back, from the large remain of one building, where he had seated himself with his knee propped up near his face and with his arm over it.

This angered her, and she responded by blasting the man who was in pain, to grant him a quicker death.

"If they are going to die, they deserve to die fighting, and with honour. And they need to be killed quickly, and painless. This is how I do things!" Callion lectured stubbornly, if foolishly, unaware of the line she had just crossed as such things were forbidden and considered an undesirable amongst the 'monkeys'.

Radditz chuckled, Turles sneered, and Nappa's eyes bulged, as he then had a worried look in his eyes. An honourable man by nature, Nappa had however resisted discussing such things since his earliest years, as he had rapidly learnt the folly of such talk. Especially, with his peers, and one in particular who had less than positive sentiments towards the concept of honour.

Vegeta lost his smile at the word he hated, for he had no use for it. He then shot a blast at her that hit the young woman square in the chest, sending her flying. "Honour? What a useless thing. Only weaklings believe in that pathetic concept. Why not enjoy yourself as you kill them? Like a true Saiyan!" This didn't impress her. She gritted her teeth, as he made one last comment. "But what can you expect from a woman? She should be on her knees, serving us, like the whore she is!"

This got her seeing black. "A world without honour, is a world not worth living!" The girl shouted, as she blasted another weaker warrior that blasted at her, using the argument as a distraction.

Turles decided to chime in, from where he was leaning against the wall of the building his leader was seated upon, his arms crossed across his broad muscled chest. Having been ruminating how best to turn the situation away from a dull one, involving a concept he could no more understand than he cared to speak of. "I've got another idea for what we can use her for. Frieza said not to have our way with her, in one particular way, but there are other ways to have fun."

Whispering his plan to the prince, it soon had the desired effect, as the sociopath waited until she had turned away from them, to resume her burdensome massacre.

This brought a smile to Vegeta's lips. They waited a beat, before they both launched small if less than fatal ki-attacks at the girl, weak enough that they wouldn't kill her, but strong enough to cause grievous injury. Before she could respond properly, she felt a series of blasts sear into the flesh of her back, dishonouring the warrior that she was, in a way she could never forgive. For to her mind, as it was to all true warriors' minds and hearts there was no greater insult than to have one's back marred, rather than the front.

* * *

Every single one of Frieza's crew was nervous and walking on eggshells. The medical staff was focusing all their efforts on the Rejuvenation tank. Within this particular tank lay the young female Saiyan, with the staff doing their utmost to heal her via their advanced technology. But the trouble was that, she hadn't been rushed in immediately after being injured, and that worried the staff. They knew all too well the price of failure, with more than one of them having been turned into cyborgs, or had lost a peer due to one of Frieza's fits.

This likely would have worried the other Saiyans, had they known yet they weren't present. They had all but rushed off from the landing-bay, where she had been taken from, to the medical-wing. With the four of them, having tucked tail for their shared quarters, in the hopes of finding some privacy from the rest of the crew aboard the ship.

The only one who looked at all worried was Nappa, as he knew they had disobeyed orders, and he was also more than a little familiar with the penalty for doing so. Vegeta and Turles were deep in conversation, with Radditz chiming in a couple times, wanting to agree with them. It was hours before the door opened, revealing a Dodoria, who wasn't as pleased as they were, with two of them tensing at the sight of him, whilst the others appeared vaguely startled.

"Lord Frieza is calling for you. Let's go." The large pink powerhouse commanded something that didn't sit well, with their unit-commander, as Vegeta had never taken well to being told what to do, not unlike a petulant child.

"What for? Does he have another mission for us?" The short prince taunted. This didn't please the third-in-command aboard the ship as he turned to lead them out.

"What for? Frieza wants to talk to you, you stupid monkey! Get your ass out there, and do as you're told!" Dodoria snapped as he all but blew his top, having learnt over the course of several decades of service; that when Frieza was angry, he was angry also.

There was a moment of silence, as the four were rounded up in the main hall where Frieza held all his vital meetings. He was not in his chair, but was standing, looking out into the great vacuum of space. The reflection in the glass showed a rather angry scowl. Zarbon stood there, sweating a little, not liking his master in this mood as he averted his gaze and kept his back to the door. Too intelligent to turn his back to his master, as that was not just against protocol but, would likely be tempting fate far, far too much.

Radditz was the first to his knees. Messing with Frieza was not his idea of fun. He was the most intelligent of the four, but the most cowardly of this posse. Turles soon got to his knees as well, fearing the worst also. An angry Frieza meant someone might get killed. Although what for, the crazed Saiyan didn't care. Turles was too self serving and selfish to truly think of himself as capable of screwing up.

Nappa meanwhile was a nervous wreck, and already on his knees, as he whispered to Vegeta a quiet warning. "On your knees. He might just kill you, my prince."

"I don't need to kneel like a-" Vegeta didn't see the reflection, and silenced himself when Frieza turned around to give him a horrifyingly murderous glare. Vegeta fell to his knees, not another word coming out of his lips, and unable to talk back, feeling the heavy pressure of the powerful Chillian's almost visibly glowing pink-coloured rage.

The self-proclaimed king of the universe soon spoke up, and when he did it was in a sharp voice that could have cut through adamantium itself. "Vegeta, do you know why I called you here?"

The Saiyan Prince was unable to utter a sound. He was sweating profusely, unable to even think out of mortal terror that Frieza, would overhear his thoughts. A superstitious notion, and one that was fairly reasonable in that moment, considering all that Frieza was capable of, when angered.

"Vegeta, Answer the question." The order froze the entire room. Everyone in the room was silent.

Dodoria meanwhile considered just running out of the room. Zarbon in turn gulped nervously, and avoided saying anything, even the messenger from the medical wing, who had just to say arrived, came to a sudden halt. Far wiser than almost anyone else in the room, the moment he stepped inside, he almost immediately stepped back out, having only needed a split-second to properly read the atmosphere, in the room. The guards maintained their professional position, but a closer inspection revealed that they were shaking like leaves in the wind. At the heart of the storm, the Saiyans remained where they were, frozen and on the verge of pissing themselves.

"Vegeta, I don't like it when people disobey me. That's twice you ignored an order just now. I WON'T TOLERATE ANOTHER FAILURE!" Frieza shouted. This was like a blast that disintegrates everyone around him behind him, his tail rose and fell as it slammed into the floor leaving a large crack in it behind him.

Vegeta who had just to say realized his error, started to stammer. "B-b-because w-we diso-o-obeyed an o-o-order…"

"And which order was that?" The icy question froze the mighty Prince of Saiyans' blood.

"T-t-to r-r-return C-c-callion alive…" Vegeta obeyed, his mouth and brain obeying the order automatically, as his brain short-circuited on him and refused to work properly for the rest of the meeting.

"And what else, you stupid monkey? Hurry and answer before I just kill you right here and now!"

"To return her… u-unsc-c-cathed…" Vegeta looked to the floor in terror. He just wanted to go curl up in a corner, and cry but that was not to be.

"And where is she right now?" Frieza spat out in a patronizing voice.

"I-in the recuperation t-t-tank…"

"And whose fault is that?" Frieza stated silently.

"T-turles…" This got a bit of a fearful look from the psychopathic Saiyan.

"And?" Vegeta's attempt to throw his best friend under the proverbial bus was not well received by his liege lord (not that it was well-received by the stronger Saiyan either).

"M-m-mine, lord Frieza…" With this admission, Frieza's tail slapped Vegeta's face into the wall.

"I gave one order, and the moment I turned around, you decide it's a good idea to disobey my orders!" Vegeta, stayed down on the floor where he landed, his brain unable to tell his body to get back to his knees. "Get up, you useless spoiled brat."

Trying to obey his angry lord, Vegeta struggled in getting to his knees. Only a few times had he in the past seen Frieza this angry. Angry wasn't even the word for it. He was murderous. Moving faster than the Saiyan could respond, Frieza, spoke with increased savagery.

"If you won't get up, then I'll make you get up." Going to pick him up by the throat, he noticed something. "If you're going to dirty my hall like that, then do that in your bedchambers, you useless monkey!"

Picking Vegeta up by the throat, he then launched him at the wall, breaking through the wall. That's when the three other Saiyans had noticed that Vegeta was unable to even control his own bladder when Frieza stood over him. Frieza finished with an ultimatum that would go down in Vegeta's memories, even long after the old tyrant was dead.

"If any of you decide to torture or attempt to murder her, I won't kill you immediately." This caused some confusion amongst the Saiyans. "I will make sure that you will be broken so utterly, that you will wish that I would let you die. Then when I refuse, I will break you completely, until you are crushed under my heel. Then, and only then will I kill you. AM I CLEAR!?" Frieza spoke to the three Saiyans.

"Yes, Lord Frieza!" The three kneeling men all responded in unison, not a single one of them rising to assist their lord though the largest of the trio would have liked to.

"Nappa. Radditz. The two of you are excused. Turles, I have words to share with you. Oh, and Dodoria?" The tyrant turned to his large, pink minion who immediately quailed at having his boss's attention turned upon him at such a time.

"Y-yes Lord Frieza?" Dodoria was nervous, dealing with this side of his lord was always a scary experience even for one such as he.

"Make sure to rub the monkey's nose in his mess, have him clean it up thoroughly afterwards. Then make sure he cleans the entire hall. I want these floors so spotless, I can see my own reflection in the floors." Dodoria moved to the slave prince. "One last thing Dodoria…" The tyrant floated up and into his until then ignored chair, which had sat uselessly in the left-hand corner of the small room. Dodoria turned and looked at Frieza, who didn't look back. "You may use any means to motivate him, as you see fit."

* * *

The young woman was in the midst of walking amongst the huge colosseum of Battle-World, wondering how she got there. Deciding to choose flight, she rose, and saw a man sitting over a hilltop. One she recognized from long ago, as it had been burnt into her memory long ago. Without a second thought, she approached it and landed. Laying her feet on the ground, she immediately recognized the back of the man who sat in a meditative pose, she would have remembered him anywhere. It was her mentor and the man who raised her. Ban.

"Ban? Is that you?" He kept to his meditative stance. Unmoving. "Ban?" Callion moved around him, keen to look into his eyes despite the frustration that rose in her.

He was still, for several long moments, that is until his eyes opened to regard her with a graveness, and severity that he had never looked upon her with, when he was amongst the living.

The female Saiyan then felt something tug her hard from behind. As she felt herself stumble back, she found that the ground had soon collapsed with flight quite beyond her. Leaving her to fall, he stared down upon her with that same damnable hardness in his eyes, as darkness moved to lay claim to her.

"_Callion, remember this; For a man can lose neither the past nor the future; for how can one take from him that which is not his? So, remember these two points: first, that each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle, and that it signifies not whether a man shall look upon the same things for a hundred years or two hundred, or for an infinity of time; second, that the longest liver and he who will die soonest lose just the same. For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived, if it is true that this is the only thing which he has, and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not."_

The young woman then saw blue liquid fall from the sky and engulf the world, as she felt it envelop her, she closed her eyes and held her breath to instinctively protect herself. After a few minutes when she couldn't help herself, she let out an unwilling breath, only to feel air pump into her lungs. Opening her eyes slowly, to see a familiar liquid and an enclosed area, she almost felt disappointed to find herself back aboard Frieza's ship. The liquid then drained, as the door in front of her opened.

Observing her surroundings, she removed the breath mask, before stepping out of the rejuvenation tank, recollecting her thoughts. A short lizard-like doctor approached her, "Good day Callion, you came back quite injured. How are you doing?"

Running a hand through her short hair, she muttered to herself "What the hell happened?" It took her a few minutes to recall what had happened to her last she was conscious. The last thing she remembered was being blasted from behind by-"Oh yeah. His royal asshat shot me from behind. Ttch." She clicked her tongue, pissed at the situation, and having to be brought back on death's door.

"It's a good thing you Saiyans, have your healing factor. That part of your growth hormone is particularly fascinating if you ask me. Probably the main reason why you monkeys are so effective; Getting stronger with every fight, even should you lose against more powerful enemies." The doctor commented to her in a discrete voice, partially to her, and partially thinking out loud.

This came as a surprise to her. "Wait… Saiyans have a growth hormone that increases their power levels when they lose against someone stronger than them?" Callion replied with surprise, not having previously had access to this information. She gripped her doctor by the shirt, harshly and passionately, lifting him off the ground.

"Y-Yes! Of course! Didn't you know? It's the primary reason Saiyans were once considered so valuable to Lord Frieza. The more powerful the enemy, the more power they get. Why do you ask?" The doctor replied nervously, before he was dropped by the young woman.

'_Why wasn't I told about this? Clearly someone didn't want me to know about this. I could name the person who ordered. In that case, that would explain why I keep getting the better of planets often stronger than me. Vegeta and Turles were probably stupid enough when they blasted me, to forget I'd get a boost. I probably got a huge power boost from them. So the closer I get to death by a stronger enemy, the more power I'll get. Now who can I… I won't bother with Vegeta and Turles. Ginyu? Tempting, but I don't want to lose to that buffoon. Zarbon's too smart, and we can forget about Frieza. That leaves…' _The woman chuckled a chilling laugh, that ran a shiver up the doctor's spine. "I'm going to enjoy this."

She soon left in search of her prey, hunting him across the ship with all the eagerness of a wolf hunting down a lamb. Though, this particular lamb was far more of a wolf in some ways than she was.

It was three days after Callion came in with the other Saiyans. Since she was on the verge of death, and Dodoria enjoyed tormenting the Saiyan Prince. Putting him on a cleaning job was euphoric for the large pink officer. Walking through the halls, he was humming a tune, with such terrible melody, it would make any canine flee in terror. This relaxing, yet rare silence was interrupted by a loud obnoxious voice.

"Hey Dodoria! Get your useless pink ass over here!"

The large alien turned around to see the young female Saiyan standing right there, locking eyes with him, defiantly. Never a particularly patient or calm man by nature, the heavy-figured pink alien growled back. "Excuse me! How dare you speak to me like that!"

The response was a snort from the petite woman. "What's wrong, you fat tub of lard! Too much of a bitch?" Callion shouted, flipping the bird at him.

"That's it! You need a reminder of who's in charge!" Dodoria roared as he held up an open palm in her direction, while Callion charged the large, powerful superior officer, as he released the energy he had gathered inside of his fist sending her back into a near-death state from which, she had just to say recovered from.

* * *

Dodoria was sweating profusely. They were in another room, as the main hall was being cleaned, by none other than Vegeta, prince of Saiyans. he dared not raise his eyes, knowing he was in trouble. It had been a day since he had blasted a hole in the Saiyan female, with the exasperated Frieza having returned from a short visit with his father.

Frieza once more in his hoverchair, glared at the window. "Dodoria, what was the one thing I told Vegeta about Callion?"

"Not to beat her down…" The large pink alien replied only to mumble under his breath. "She has a habit of picking fights and insulting me-" Before the whimpering behemoth could finish his sentence, Zarbon finished it for him.

"Because of her defiant spirit, and therefore, she has a distaste for you. We know, you giant imbecile." Zarbon finished, keeping an eye on Frieza's actions, while scolding Dodoria. It was a way of gaining favour with Frieza. From behind the green skinned administrator, a guard came out, and whispered in his ear, as the truth was revealed to him, he all but shouted. "Get that incompetent doctor in here! Right this minute before I kill you!"

The guard scrambled, as his new had won him a prize, no one ever truly wanted; Frieza's attention. He was annoyed by Zarbon's outburst, and asked the important question. "Zarbon, I don't like being interrupted when a matter is at hand. What was so important that would test my patience with you?"

Zarbon gulped, and thought for a moment, that passed as an eternity. He stammered. "I-i-it appears th-th-that one of the doctors… slipped t-t-t-to C-C-C-Callion about…"

Before he could finish, Frieza's eyes shot open, with such fury, that everyone one the ship felt the shift of the mood. He ordered in a cold, low voice. "Finish the report, Zarbon. What did she find out?" The space pirate knew what the end of the report would be, and it would not be a favourable one.

"A-a-about, the growth h-h-hormone." Zarbon, finished, considering just running at the moment, but his feet couldn't move. He proceeded to fall to his knees, and pleading for mercy. "Please, lord Frieza, I don't mean any ill. Spare this lowly, loyal servant. A recording revealed the conversation."

"Stop your pathetic begging, Zarbon." The hateful reply sent a shiver up both Zarbon's and Dodoria's spines. The return of the guard was prompt, but he knew enough to sink to his own knees, sweating, nearly crying. "Is this the good doctor that took care of Callion when she woke up?"

The doctor that was behind the guard gulped, his legs frozen, as he couldn't get up from his knees. Unable to answer, this angered Frieza who was now shouting.

"Are you, or are you not?" The resounding yell left Dodoria sweating buckets, while Zarbon, turned around to face the doctor, trying to motion to him to advance, while the forgotten guard hugged the wall.

Silence took hold, and Zarbon moved over to stand near the medical staff member, only to grab him by the back of the neck, and toss him in front of the space pirate, next to Dodoria.

"Answer the damn question." The pink alien ordered.

"Y-yes I am." The doctor answered, only to get a blast engulfing him, with nothing left of the staff member. The rest of the staff present were terrified of being on the receiving end of yet more of the tyrant's fury.

Turning his hoverchair towards the window, he stated coldly. "Dodoria, I'll spare you this time, but if you mess up one more time, I won't just obliterate you… I'll use your skull as a dinner cup. And that's after I slowly torture you to death. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza. I will not interact with Callion at all from now on." Dodoria quickly replied, making a mental note to memorize Callion's jobs, and to avoid being on the same capital ship as her to avoid another event such as this one. After a silent moment, Frieza spoke up again. "Get out."

This was all Frieza said, and everyone scrambled to leave, including the head administrator of the organisation, Zarbon. They all knew if he was in such a mood, that it was time to make yourself scarce. Frieza looked out the window, pondering about what this meant. Of all the Saiyans, he didn't want her to know about the growth hormone. She may have been the weakest Saiyan as a baby, but that didn't mean that one cannot improve to be powerful.

But that wasn't all that was he was worried about. He knew it was a matter of time before she found out about her Saiyan growth hormone. What worried him, was that she was still young, and that meant she could still grow. And there was her intellect, cunning, and thoroughness. She was extremely competent at her job. Yes, she learned the species abilities when she wiped out a planet and that worried him most of all.

The prophecy loomed over him, and he was concerned over one primary thought: _'Will I meet my end, by an enemy that I helped to create and mould?'_

* * *

A little bit over two year later, and the young 'lady' known as Callion had recently turned sixteen. She was now permitted to leave on more missions, and had soon learned to hide her abilities. Since the incident of her torture, after she had first caught sight of the scars on her back, she had started to push away everything she had learnt of honour as a child.

Ruthlessness was part of this collar. She may have worn a collar on Battle-World, but this slavery didn't have a physical collar. It was choking her sense of identity that she had, when she was first chosen by the space tyrant, Frieza. So tightly did it choke her that, she had within the past year begun to repress what she could. Honour was now a forgotten memory, and she learned to be savage, having learnt well to never turn her back to Vegeta and Turles again, or to give her victims a chance at surviving or fighting back.

Sending energy blasts at her victims who were in the midst of running away, where once she would have been willing to give her enemy the chance to die, with dignity and honour. With their heads held high. That woman-warrior was no more, she had learnt the lesson of brutality well, from the worst scum in the universe.

Now, Callion, the She-Wolf simply killed all those before her. Fast and efficient, as well as ruthless. In fact, she was coming to enjoy her missions. No longer hesitant, if she had something to say, she would say it, regardless of hurt feelings or wounded pride.

The young woman was walking down the hallways, entering the hangar, approaching her pod, and a mission organiser. He was panicking as he shouted at the female Saiyan.

"Is the pod ready? Forget it. I'm entering anyways." She bluntly stated. However, the officer panicked.

"But Callion, your power level barely registers at three thousand! The planet Athas has an average power level of five thousand! You'll be marching to your death!" He squawked at the warrior. "Please reconsider!"

"I'm well aware of the power difference. It's why I chose it. Just prepare some tea for my return." She mocked the officer, treating him as a servant. The space pod launched off in the direction of the planet.

"Oh, boy. Lord Frieza's not gonna like this!" the reptilian bird alien groaned.

* * *

Frieza didn't seem pleased. When Zarbon arrived in the room, as always when there was an air of fury in there, he found his knee. It wasn't always like this, yet it seemed to be growing more frequent with each passing year so that at times, he wondered if it was like this when serving Cooler as well. "Greetings lord Frieza. Why have you called for me?"

The only question that remained unasked was whether it was a mistake he had made, or one that someone else had. Having survived for well over a century in Frieza's service, he could count his own mistakes on almost one hand, and each time he had made a point to learn from it. He soon had his answer, and it was one that even he hadn't seen coming.

"Shut up Zarbon. If you know the answer, why ask it. Especially in my current mood. I'd like to know what happened." He ordered in a cold manner. "It had better be good, or I'll kill you on the spot!"

"Well, umm, Lord Frieza, it appears that Callion chose to go to a planet that was higher than her power level again, and came back battered and almost dead." Zarbon spoke in a clear voice, his uncertainty evident in his voice, as he still did not know if this was a mistake or not. Should the monkey die, all the better right? One would think this was the case, especially when one thought about how the female was more valuable, than the rest given the Saiyans' need for her, in order to repopulate.

"I already know that Zarbon. I read all the files, so how is it that my pet was allowed to choose such missions? And why didn't you notify the staff **NOT** to allow her to take such missions?" Frieza barked as he all but trembled with fury, and a tinge of fear something that alerted his subordinate to just how thin the proverbial ice beneath his feet was.

Zarbon bit his tongue. It was on the tip of it, to state that he had assumed Frieza had given his sign-off, or that he had been quite frankly indifferent. If Callion wished to kill herself, by running off on impossible to complete missions, it was her problem. So long as she didn't interact with the other Saiyans in private, all was well as far as he knew. Or as well, as anything involving the troublesome Saiyan female could ever be.

As far as he knew, the only one she had interacted with over the years, had been Nappa but there had been nothing sexual or romantic there. Rather, it seemed that the two had developed a convivial relationship, that was comradely in nature with Callion disinterested in even working with him, which was good enough for Zarbon.

"You failed to inform them, because you were stupid enough to let this slip by, Zarbon. Next time you make such a blunder, it will be your life on the line." The tyrant threatened in a sharp tone.

"Yes, Lord Frieza."

Frieza was silent for a moment, evidently pondering his options, of a far greater intellect and age than his silent flunky, he was clearly reanalyzing and redeciding what to do with her. If it was the green-haired administrator's choice she would already be dead. "Zarbon, call back the Saiyans. I've decided what to do with Callion."

"What's that, lord Frieza?" Zarbon asked, quizzically, wondering what the pirate ruler was thinking.

"I'll put her on the Saiyan team. That way, she won't be going on these missions that leave her half dead, and raising her power level exponentially. Understood? She is to be put on Vegeta's unit, from now on!"

* * *

Blasting her foes in the ruins of what was once was a great city, the Saiyans had separated to eliminate the planet's different hemispheres. It was Nappa's idea to keep Vegeta and Callion from fighting each other. Destroying the last of the inhabitants, who dared to plead for their lives, she felt someone's eyes on her. She advanced further for another ten minutes, only to be brought to a halt by her Scouter.

From the shadows, a mysterious stranger had been caught up in observing her, for some time before he cackled. He was ready to pounce on his prey, had been ready for some time. It had simply taken years of waiting, of hiding and of slithering. Little did he realise she was ready for his attack. The man pounced out of the shadows, and as he flew towards her at full speed, he shouted in a loud voice. "I've got you, Callion! Time to show who's on top!"

Radditz was less than a meter away, yet he didn't see Callion turn around, in order to wrap her hand around his throat. He didn't realize what had happened, until it was too late, when he felt pressure on his neck. He looked down to see her, holding him up.

"What do you think you're doing, Radditz? Sneaking up and attacking a poor defenseless maiden… How strong and brave of you, dear warrior." The patronising mockery in her voice, at his his ambush left him shocked.

He managed to croak out one word. "How… Ack!" He felt her tighten her grip around his neck, causing him to choke on his spittle.

But she had miscalculated. Or so he thought, for he was aware that he was taller than her. His feet could still touch the ground, with this advantage in mind, he tried to forcefully step back, but the petite femme fatale saw what he was up to, and reacted accordingly before he could successfully get out of her grip.

Keeping her grip on his neck, she loosened for a second, only to punch him once in his stomach, which caused the air to leave his lungs. In the next second, she renewed the squeeze on his throat again, as soon as his lungs were empty. She finished this combo by floating a good meter off the ground, lifting him along with her.

His chest was flaming, and in agony. He couldn't breathe, was gasping for air. He tried to power up, his power didn't come to him again. But he would not let up, he would not give up here. He wouldn't let himself die like this, he was the son of Bardock. The greatest of all the third-class Saiyans, and while that wasn't much to brag about, as far as he knew, in comparison, to his compatriots, it was all he had.

In order to break her grip, he reached out with all that he had to the power he had gathered over the course of almost three decades of life. Powering up to his max, he extended his open palm towards her. Extending his open palm towards her stomach, he launched a Sunday blast, that would have left even a Saibaman, with few hopes of survival. At first it seemed as though, his blast had had the desired effect, with his hopes soon dashed when he felt her vice-like grip tighten around his throat.

Alas, such valiant efforts to overpower the even low-class wench was all in vain. She hadn't even powered up, in order to survive through his pathetic attack, when the smoke had cleared, it revealed to his utter horror, that the expression upon her face was one of utter mockery and scorn. Radditz was by now just about ready to resign himself to his death.

"I'm going to tell you something, Radditz. I knew what you were up to, since the beginning. You don't think I didn't notice your disgusting little glances, your sly side-long looks? You can't sneak up on me. You can't outsmart me, and you can't overpower me." She then threw him against a brick wall, cracking it through the middle and into two pieces.

As he gasped for the precious air, to return to his lungs. The man hacked and coughed, even vomiting on the ground, as his realization finally dawned on him.

She was more powerful than him. The weakest Saiyan in almost a thousand years had done the impossible. Had defied genetics, had defied the fate that all had resigned her to. She had done the unimaginable for a member of the Frieza-force; she had actively increased her power-level more than ten times it's original number.

"How…" Radditz stammered, his blood freezing beneath his veins.

"By drinking milk, dumbass." She retorted, in a cocky manner. "I have reached this level, not just with the growth hormone, but with hard work and dedication." She clenched her fist. "You may be smart, Radditz. You may be clever. But deep down, you're nothing more than a coward. You refuse to fight anyone stronger than you, so you stay weak." She walked over to him, and grabbed him by the hair on the top of his head. "I'm no longer the weakest Saiyan here. I'm at least five times stronger than you, and you won't tell a soul. Not Vegeta, not Nappa, and most of all not Frieza. Is that understood?"

She shot him a look that could have rivaled Frieza's. In that moment, he feared her more than the centuries old tyrant. All he could think to do was gasp and hack, before finally nodding.

"Good. Not that anyone would care about anything you'd say or do. Just a note: Blab, and I'll kill you. And don't even think for a second that it would be fast. I'll cut your fingers and toes to start. Then move onto your arms and legs. I'll continue from there to your precious hair. Once I'm done with that, I'll tear out your eye-balls with a rusty carving knife, pulling them out slowly. After that, I will cut off what makes you a man, one slice at a time, making sure to extend the pain as long and slow as possible, with said rusted knife. Then comes the disemboweling, and we could see how many organs we could find, until you die. Now that doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

She licked her lips once she was done explaining her threat, as if she was hoping he would blab, so she could perform such horrific sadism upon him. He was now in shock, terrified by what could happen, as his thoughts raced. Now that he was the weakest of the remaining Saiyans, he knew she could do it, and observing her on several missions… what restraint she had had in the first few missions with her was but a dream of a bygone age.

The reality was now something he never thought was possible. the only breeding possibility for him had slipped through his fingers. He dared not upset her, or face her in any way.

"Vegeta pisses me off. I need a favour of you. now that Turles isn't with us, he will want to get aggressive with me. He's too stupid to kill you. Me on the other hand…" She let out a sinister cackle. "I intend to enjoy your screams of agony."

"What do you want me to do?" The 'proud' son of Bardock cried out, almost weeping.

"I want you to keep the heat of our beloved Prince, off of me. You get all the beatings and punishment now. I don't want to be reduced to his chew toy. That's the role of the weakest in the group. Am I clear?"

"Let's go see Frieza. We have a meeting. We wouldn't want to upset, our dear lord and master, would we?" She snarked in a sarcastic tone, walking a few steps away from him while he nodded dumbly in response.

Her back was turned, which gave him an opportunity to sate his curiosity, faster than thought, he raised his hand to his scouter, in order to push the button. _'She shouldn't be stronger than Turles or Vegeta… Just how powerful is she?' _The numbers scanned, and they finished with a familiar number which caused his jaw to drop. _'Impossible! She shouldn't have been able to overpower me with a power level of 400! How is she…?' _

His train of thought stopped, the second she turned around to offer him a sadistic smirk over her shoulder. One that made his pulse quicken with mortal terror, _'She's stronger than that… She has to be… She's more powerful than I, that's for sure. But she can't be stronger than Nappa, that's for sure. She's the weakest Saiyan baby in a thousand years! A baby born with a power level of 3!'_

Trying to figure out how the young teenage girl had gotten that powerful, he followed her to the space pods. Meeting with Vegeta and Nappa, they left the planet, with Radditz in a cold sweat.

As he attempted to make sense of what had just happened, Callion was currently pondering her chances and situation with all the carefulness of a seasoned military-veteran. That was one less Saiyan to harass her; with Turles gone AWOL, and now Radditz subdued. All that was left was to figure out a way to either subdue the Prince temporarily until, she could figure out what to do with him.

A couple of weeks later, the team of Saiyans gathered to meet their leader, in order to hear their newest assignment. Frieza was pleased with their report. Of course, said incident between Callion and Radditz was neglected from the report.

Seated in the middle of the hall, Frieza lounged comfortably in his chai, leaving the debriefing and the re-briefing to Zarbon, who had always been the more eloquent man after he cleared his throat, of course. Referring to the star-map that soon lit up, the whole of the screen that had lowered on one side of the room, using his hand to point out specific planets he soon made his point clear for the upcoming year's missions.

"Let's discuss the next set of planets open for clearing. We have Sufugnoff, which is a 2000 power level threat, there's Nar Shaddaa, that has an average of 1500, and that leaves Azeroth, which would be a low grade 500, if so, then please watch the landmasses… There are a lot of resources that can be…" Zarbon was cut off when an officer approached him and cut him off to his irritation. "Don't interrupt. It can wait."

"But Lord Zarbon… It can't wait. I just got the report myself sir," The officer was shaking like a leaf.

"Well, spit it out!" The administrator of the Frieza-force was rapidly losing the patience, he was so revered for throughout the organization.

"We received a communication from L-l-l-lord Cooler!" This report froze everyone in the room, even the self-styled emperor was frozen stiff for several moments.

Frieza was the first to speak up, addressing the officer, with open fear in his eyes. His reaction was one that was fairly understandable, given who it was that was on their way. Few had ever come near the greatest Chillian in history, defied him and lived to tell the tale if at all. And given how Frieza was as one of the Saiyans in comparison to his near god-like brother, it was fairly understandable why everyone else stiffened and began to sweat. Or in Radditz's case, tried to inch out of the room as best he could, without being noticed.

The only one who didn't stiffen with fear was Callion, which was more due to ignorance. Shooting Nappa a questioning look, from where she was kneeling a bit behind and to the left of Vegeta, with the larger Saiyan directly behind the prince. She was soon given a shake of her head, by way of answer from the terrified bald man, whom she had never seen react in such a manner before. Curious despite herself, she waited with bated breath as everyone present broke into open panic, or as open panic as they were capable of.

"What did the communication say?" Frieza asked, praying that he could run away from the situation, from his ship and maybe flee to his father's palace. The only place safe from Cooler in the universe, as all knew that he had no intention of ever returning to their father's palace. Not since he had dethroned him, that is.

"L-L-ord C-C-C-C-C-Cooler requests to b-b-b-board Lord Frieza. Y-y-y-your orders?"

Silence fell in the hall. Zarbon was stunned for several moment, and took five minutes to order preparations to greet the powerful emperor, being the first to recover emotionally, whilst his liege sank back into horrified silence. Dodoria got up from his quaking knees, as he had fallen to them, but a few minutes before, only to decide that being on, his knees was where he belonged. Vegeta, Radditz and Nappa were unable to move. Their legs wouldn't let them. Frieza had a look of absolute terror on his face. He always did fear and respect his brother. The former far, far more than the latter, and with good reason.

Since despite everything, Cooler had always looked on him with a semblance of favour. Or what passed for favour with him. Meanwhile Zarbon was still gathering his thoughts in order to bark out more orders, while the soldiers gathered near the landing-pad where the Emperor's space-pod was supposed to come in for a landing.

Zarbon didn't even make it there, when he noticed the soldiers already at attention. That's when he saw him. It had been almost twenty-four years since he had last seen, the ruler of Chill and time had had no visible effect upon him, just as it hadn't Frieza's top administrator.

Cooler was walking down the hallway already, with his loyal minions at his side. Zarbon was scared, and considered death more sympathetic than this monstrous ruler, who on his best days made Frieza look like a child. Surely death, and the gods who judged the dead couldn't be any crueller than the eldest son of King Cold.

"Greetings, Zarbon, bring me to my dear brother." Cooler spoke coldly and calmly in spite of his politeness, he had a sinister smile on his face, one which chilled the blood of any who laid eyes upon it. The march to the ship hall that Frieza usually preferred was uneventful.

Which wasn't to say this was a comfort, for Frieza's favourite as he was sweating buckets, his back to the emperor of all known space, normally something no one dared to do, and just the thought of doing so, had made him think instinctively that Cooler intended to kill him. The thing was though, the old tyrant was as practical as he was evil and therefore didn't care to maintain the same forms of etiquette as his younger sibling. So that, many a man had turned their backs to the Emperor even if they did so unwilling, and without any disrespect intended towards him.

Opening the door to the room where the vast majority were still on their knees. Dodoria was on the verge of tears of sheer terror, the soldiers were tempted to run, but they would be killed by Frieza if they did so. (Not that it would have mattered, if they were killed by Cooler first!) Vegeta, Nappa and Radditz were in a similar situation as Dodoria. Nappa pulled Callion down lower on her knees, whispering to her. "Get down! That's Lord Cooler!"

"Who the hell is that?" She spoke in a quiet tone to him, having at last lost patience with his reticent silence.

Nappa gulped, before he explained it to her seconds before the doors moved to open to let the aforementioned Emperor in. "He's the most powerful being in the universe, so far that is known. he makes Frieza look like a baby as weak as you were. No offence Cal."

"I see, so he's that powerful." She said, observing the being who entered the room with open curiosity, her head barely bowed as Nappa gave her a stricken look. One that told her to behave herself, else who knew what would happen.

Frieza was out of his chair and on his own knees in an unfamiliar pose, which none of the Saiyans had ever seen him assume before (save for Nappa and Vegeta once before), if he could he would have paled, had he not already been stark white, clearing his throat he stammered. "T-t-t-to what d-d-d-do I owe the hon-n-nour, b-b-brother?"

Callion was shocked. the cold and calculating Frieza was whimpering like an animal begging for mercy. The woman observed, with some perverse if cold amusement, piecing together in the next hear-beat the reason for Frieza's refusal to mention this Cooler. It wasn't just fear. It was absolute terror. She'd seen her fair share of people in fear, but it was nothing compared to this. This almost made her own blood freeze in their veins as she had begun to think that, nothing scared her slave-master, not even death.

Zarbon fell to his knees immediately, making sure to assume a position off to the side near the galaxy-map as he did so, only to speak up without meaning to, and in the next heart-beat he cursed himself for bringing even the remotest amount of attention to himself. "W-w-would you like s-s-s-some refreshments lord Cooler?"

"Save your pointless hospitalities, I'm only here for a short inspection. At least someone knows how to make me feel welcome." Cooler snapped, half sarcastic before he turned to face the shrinking Frieza. "Dear brother, I haven't received your bi-yearly report. Is there a reason for this? Other than the usual death-wish?"

"We were busy, Lord Cooler. We are going to rush the completion of the report, and send it today!" Frieza blurted out in a fast and anxious tone, looking as though he were about to break down weeping himself.

'He sounds like Vegeta when Frieza's punishing him, I'd have never guessed someone could put this kind of fear into Frieza.' Callion mused, fascinated despite herself as she observed them, and if anyone had taken the time to glance her way, they could not have avoided noticing some of the envy in her eyes. Envy for his ability to instill fear and respect in all around him, as was as a fair amount of respect for his power and apparent intellect on their own terms.

Cooler turned around as he was lecturing his younger, and much more spoiled brother. "Frieza. I don't like tardiness, a due date is there for a reason. You aren't being supervised by father anymore; therefore, you need a lot more discipline." Turning to Zarbon, the tyrant addressed him. "Zarbon, you're usually a lot more punctual, I'm disappointed in you. To think I considered employing you as part of my staff. Next time, don't neglect your duties, if you wish to live to see tomorrow!"

His tone was sharp enough, for it to have punched through the greatest of armour, but as he faced forward, towards the door once more, he soon noticed a pair of eyes that were soon locked with his own.

It was Callion who had dared to do so, and it was but the slightest of moments. Yet the female Saiyan felt a moment of unease, like he was observing deep within her soul. She didn't much like the feeling, as it reminded her of Ban. Except a much, much darker version if one was to ask her that is. There was a long, silence that soon followed, the sort that chills the blood of all, who lived to bear witness to it.

"Frieza, I would like to ask you a question." Cooler spoke up, at last, his voice so soft that Cold's favourite son could have been excused if he hadn't heard it.

"Y-y-yes brother, what is it?" Frieza replied, sounding as though he had a lump in his throat.

"Who is that woman? She wasn't with the Saiyan unit last time I was here."

"She's a recent add-d-dition to the team. After the l-l-loss of one Saiyan, I p-p-placed her on the t-t-team!" The cowed villain, Frieza stammered, his explanation not exactly accurate yet in his fear, he could hardly formulate enough of his thoughts together, in order to answer properly while his brother spent another minute in silence before he reacted.

"Is she your former pet?" He turned back at his little brother.

"Y-yes. She is." Frieza answered unsure of the significance of the she-Saiyan, even as he was mentally preparing his will and funeral.

"You should kill her. She's too intelligent, and she's a schemer." Cooler stated at once, which made some sweat start to run down Callion's head, where she was kneeling. "She's a lot more powerful than what she lets on, as well."

His observation froze all those present in the room more than before, he then spoke in a commanding tone, yet in what seemed to double over as a philosophical one. Yes, there was more to Cold's eldest than what most assumed. Though, all business, he was also capable of philosophy, of thinking back on previous experiences enough to admit his own flaws and mistakes enough, to learn from them. This innate quality of his, had allowed him to survive thousands of battles, some of which had shaken the very fabric of entire galaxies, and others which would have left Frieza and King Cold dead in their wake.

And though he was hard-pressed to care for anyone, as apathetic and evil as he was, some distant part, in some hidden corner inside of Cooler, lay a certain feeling. A feeling of fondness of a sort for his younger sibling. It was why he was still alive, still allowed to claim half the universe, as Cooler's subordinate and was why, he had even taught him several techniques, taught him to be so cruel. And so for this reason, he gave him a piece of frank advice that was borne from his own personal experience of six hundred years of life and violence. And rule.

"I have a policy; Do not employ someone too much like oneself else they will attempt to take all that you have. Hence, why I kill them." With a sigh that was filled with as much contempt as it was impatience, he added. "But it is time I take my leave. I will not control what happens on your pitiful ship, or in your territory. I simply demand one thing. Do not endanger the realm, or fail the family more than you already have."

The alien emperor Cooler went to leave the room, stopping for a moment to look at Callion, with visible contempt, before moving on from the ship. His obnoxious, cold and impatient presence a relief to be free of, notably for the Saiyan female who was frozen stiff where she was.

It took an hour after Cooler departed for his ship for Zarbon to regain his senses, and give the staff time to recuperate from the impromptu visit. Callion managed to get up and step out after almost another hour. She knew he was powerful, and she was as an ant in comparison to him. Just as it took her that much time to recover, it took similar amount of time for Dodoria, and the male Saiyans to be able to step out of the room, because of a lack of balance from their own anxiety. Frieza was incoherent and in shock for several more hours, with only Zarbon to assist with several duties, as the lord of the ship was unable to even respond to stimuli around him.

Callion went to the Saiyan squad chambers. As the door closed, she looked at her shaking hands, that were still trembling. Never before had she encountered, something so awe-inspiring, so terrible in it its cold, dark majesty. Never before had she flown so close to the sun so to speak, and lived to tell the tale.

'_This Cooler, he's powerful and dangerous to say the least. I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, or anywhere for that matter, maybe for a good twenty years. He's not going to be easy to defeat. But I'll find a way. Once I'm powerful enough, I will topple this emperor. Although, that is, if I don't freeze up at the key moment.' _The woman thought still shaking, she then analysed her own emotional state, in a cold and calculating way that she had forced herself to develop over the years. It was something that she had observed in Zarbon, Ban and many of the other greatest of warriors she had met over the course of her life.

She wasn't accustomed to this feeling. Even with Vegeta and Frieza looming over her, they may have beaten her and tormented her, but they never scared her. Not to this degree, never to this degree actually, as she emptied the contents of her stomach down the toilet. Gritting her teeth, as she heard the rest of the Saiyans doing the same elsewhere, she forced herself to swallow her bile.

To give in, to fear now was to give in for the rest of one's life she told herself. How could, she possibly hope to ever rise, to triumph in life if she was still shaking and vomiting an hour later? She was a warrior, a space-pirate and she would not let fear control her, not while she still had breath in her body.

* * *

The "She-Wolf" known as Callion has braved many a countless trials and tribulations, necessary survival, punishment and one of the harshest and cruelest rulers of space. Her life on Battle-World was but a distant memory, but the last words Ban shared with her was burned into her memory; sometimes haunting her dreams.

In the time that had passed between Cooler's visit and then, she had done what she could to increase her power, to sharpen her mind and to fight on. Frieza had kept her alive, though he did so with a much closer eye on her progress than before. It was evident that his brother's words had had an effect upon him, just as they had had one upon her.

Pushing the memory of the Emperor's words from her mind, she focused on the business at hand. Or maybe it would be better to call it the pleasure at hand, as she was in the business of exterminating life in entire solar-systems and on entire worlds. She didn't like it at first, but she had acquired a taste for cruelty, herself. Not unlike that of her slave-masters It was natural to find a coping mechanism when you live under Frieza. Zarbon was more focused and comrades in the Saiyan unit.

Her transformation into a monster, was still different from that of those around her, as she was markedly her own beast, and not them. Dodoria was more of a bully, one who took pleasure in the torment of those weaker than him. Nappa for his part, was still little more than a nursemaid, or at least those who dared to face him, tended to mock him, since he still tended to fuss over Vegeta, just as much as when the prince was an infant. Radditz, on the other hand avoided conflict altogether. Vegeta was unlike all of them, as he had become just like his overlord. Sadism ran like wildfire in his veins, just as it had in his father and grandfather's veins.

Years had passed, and she was now twenty-one years old, in that time she had gotten used to the prince of Saiyans. She didn't care for him, but she had learnt to live with him even if she still didn't know how to properly tolerate him at the best of times. Manipulation worked most of the time.

With this contempt that was as thinly veiled as it was likely to flare into open hostility, extending even to Radditz who was to her mind, and in reality little more than a sniveling mouse with a silver tongue. As to Nappa Callion didn't mind, he had loyalty to the unit and what was more to her, which had earned her loyalty in turn. Since on some level, they were kindred spirits, or so she felt.

On this mission, she was alone with Vegeta and Nappa. Radditz had gone off to a distant planet to check on another planet that was to be cleared, but for some odd reason, it wasn't ready for selling on the market. He had left whilst, also promising to bring back some brother of his, a prospect that Callion wasn't all that thrilled about.

'Just what I need, a second rat to suck up to me, and to slap into place,' she had thought when he had told them his grand plan, which would leave him no longer the lowest amongst them. The plan had appealed to Vegeta, who was always on the look-out for another victim or play-thing, while Nappa was keen simply to please the prince.

The woman didn't much care for it. It wasn't her mission, so it wasn't important. If Radditz wanted to go alone, it wasn't her concern.

On this planet, Vegeta was in the midst of laughter as he obliterated aliens by the boatloads, his mad laughter, the last memory these people would have, in the living world.

Some distance away, Nappa was focused on grounding any possible air escapees, laughing and stretching as he went. He liked good exercise, between that and his distaste for swiftly finishing his foes before they had a chance to properly exhaust themselves due to his own sense of honour, he was taking the longest to finish off his corner.

Callion was taking her time with her portion of the planet. They weren't given a deadline, so she could kill at her leisure. She opted for finger blasts, as she had no patience for the flashy blasts that Vegeta enjoyed. As for Nappa's more physical combat style, it was too much work, the woman thought to herself. Men, women, young and elderly stood no chance against her.

Take for example one family of five; a husband, wife, two young children and a baby. The man spoke in his native tongue, her scouter soon translated his panicked voice.

"Leave! I will stall this demon!" He shouted as took a gardening tool to stall, only for Callion to dispassionately send a wave that engulfed him and his family, leaving nothing in its way.

Following this attack, she heard a scream. Another man, except this one had tears, in his eyes all the while, he was powering up, beyond what the other male had been capable of doing. Her scouter detected the man, as he powered up to a total of eight-hundred, right before he charged her.

The pirate smirked in satisfaction, at how swiftly she had found herself a new plaything. He tried to attack her, only for her to fly back a little, humouring him if for a brief moment, as he dove through the air after her, but to no avail. She was simply too fast for him.

"That was my brother, my nephews, and my brother's wife, you-" The last part of the sentence wasn't something that the Scouter was able to translate.

"Wow. that's rude. I'm just a harmless woman after all." Callion taunted, as he proceeded to throw another couple of punches, which she sidestepped. At this point, she dove in for the kill by moving behind him faster, than he could blink only to launch a finger blast at his back, without piercing him.

Realising his attacks did nothing, he then opted to charge everything into one final blast, hoping to evidently chance everything on one last attack. In the hopes that this would finish her as surely, as it might him.

"Oh, a ki blast. What will I ever do?" She commented in a deadpan voice, even as she cackled at his futile attempts.

The man launched a blast, only for Callion to grin, and backhand it into another part of the city, which was soon little more than dust and ashes. A sure-sign of just how powerful the alien truly was.

"Impossible!" The man cried out, horrified and frozen where he stood.

Her smile said everything. "That was quite an attack. Here. Let me return the favour!"

Laughing maniacally, she sent finger blasts at him, some piercing, some melting through his flesh in order to break his bones. Knowing how to control her blasts was key, with precision allowing for more playtime, than what flashy attacks could ever hope to allow her.

"I know you loved your family to bits, but it seems you're just broken up over them!" She stated, then she started snorting and laughing. "Wow! A twofer! To bits… hahaha… Broken up…"

This wasn't a maniacal laugh, but an obnoxious snort of one that made her sound rather more akin to a horse or a pig than a monkey. She had always had a taste for puns, with her sense of humour remaining little changed since she was a child. Callion soon proceeded to finish off the screaming man with one final blast.

"Nothing like destroying people in the morning. This job seems like a vacation. I hope the beaches don't get destroyed by that idiot Vegeta." She commented, proud of her work, the female took to admiring her handiwork.

Her grumbling was interrupted when she was hit in the back of the head, by a small rock. It didn't affect her too much, but she was depowered, so it stung for a moment. Cursing as she massaged the back of her skull, all the while growling as she turned around to face a child she had missed despite all the grand explosions, dismembering and murders. He had a stick in hand, and was crying, like a rabid animal, with nothing left to lose.

The first word he said could not be translated. Callion assumed it was something insulting and crude. This pleased her, as she always did like a little spit in her victims. "I'm going to kill you! Honourless coward!"

With a smirk Callion raised her hand in front of her ready to launch a one-handed Zodiac Wave, which was her trademark technique from Battle-World, only to look the infant in the eye. That kind of spirit seemed… familiar. Like a forgotten memory.

The youth ran towards her, jumped waving his stick overhead, ready to strike her. She didn't know what came over her, as she let him hit her in the shoulder, breaking the youngling's weapon. Clicking her tongue at her own incompetency and absent-mindedness, the energy gathered soon blew through the boy's chest killing him instantly.

"I'm getting soft. Maybe I'm letting my guard down before even being on vacation. Tch!" The evil woman grunted before she flew off, going to find the next area to rid of its inhabitants.

* * *

Hours passed, soon the three Saiyans found themselves atop a litter of corpses. Callion was in a foul mood, and eating some protein bars, pulled from the rations that each member of the space-pirates carried in their pods with them. She was about thirty meters from the men. _'Stinking idiot. The planet's still intact, but he destroyed all the beaches!' _

"Rggg" Nappa growled, after having bitten into one of the inhabitant's legs, his attention focused on his Scouter rather than the reddened surrounding area. "Radditz Stinks."

"Of course, he does." Callion commented. "Figures he'd go out like a worm."

"He's a complete disgrace. Tch." The prince agreed, though steadfastly ignoring her as he focused his attention upon the other male, while he took a bite out of the arm from one of the former citizens of the planet, something which made Callion wrinkle her nose at him.

"Animal." She muttered below her breath, incapable of understanding how he could eat a sentient being. An animal okay, she liked those, heck hunting was a passion of hers, yet to eat something capable of building a society disgusted her.

"How can he let himself, be beaten by men, with such low fighting power." Vegeta growled somehow packing more snobbism into one phrase, than anyone else even Frieza could over the course of a life-time, though in this case he was speaking more to himself, than to his aide.

"Because they used their heads, you pinhead." Callion grumbled in a low voice that Nappa overheard, all the while she took a large bite of her own food.

"Come on, Cal," Nappe whispered to her, hoping to get her to settle down before she would rile herself and likely the prince up, which would leave him with the unfortunate task of restoring peace to the unit. As always, any other man would have complained but not one as patient as he was, turning to Vegeta he recommended his opinion to him, as he was the only one upset at the loss of his comrade. "I don't know. Maybe we should go teach those earthlings a lesson."

Chewing on one last piece of meat, Vegeta replied. "A waste of time." The prince soon proceeded to spit out, a part of the arm onto the ground.

"Wow. I actually agree with him for once in his miserable life." The snide comments coming from the female Saiyan was, thankfully not heard by the prince of Saiyans.

Who then smirked to himself, as he chewed, "Then again, I am curious."

There was a moment of silence. "Ah. Are you thinking about what Radditz's killer said?"

"Does he ever think?" Callion's muttering comments was more about her stubborn need to have the last word than for any sane reason, or intelligent desire to interject a valid opinion.

Getting up and laughing in a sinister tone, Vegeta soon made his decision, "Exactly. Those Dragon Balls caught my interest. Just think of the possibilities, Nappa, if we can get our hands on those seven Dragonballs, then we can wish for anything we want. Anything at all…" He gave Nappa a meaningful if greedy look. "Wouldn't you say that's worth making a little trip?"

Nappa approached his lord. "You kidding?" After a moment of thinking. "Yeah! Let's go!" The large, bald man eagerly cheered himself up with a loud laugh that was as boisterous as it was dark. "Hahahaha!"

Callion on the other hand, got up, and was the voice of pessimism. "No way can something like that exists, without some sort of catch. Besides, it's probably a wish off a monkey's paw. In other words; a fairy tale."

"Let's go! We're leaving. It's an order." Vegeta commanded with Nappa following at once, while the female sighed in exasperation. From there they proceeded to an even more deeply forested area, the one where they had landed in, which wasn't too far away from the ruins of the capital city, which had been decimated by Nappa but a few hours earlier.

Vegeta was smirking all the way there, with Nappa exuding quiet confidence, in their newly acquired knowledge. Callion for her part wasn't too keen on this plan by reason of her atheistic disbelief and nihilistic doubt in all things magical or spiritual.

"Once we force Kakarot's friends to tell us how to find these Dragonballs, we'll eliminate them along with anyone else who tries to stand, in our way." Vegeta stated as he leaned on his pod.

"And then we can wish Radditz back to life?" Nappa wondered, unsure of his prince's plan for these seemingly miraculous balls.

Callion's opinion was not heard on this matter, as she for once had the forethought not to voice it. _'Radditz is a waste of time, like this trip.' _

"No. That would be a wasted wish." Vegeta spat out, this surprised the other two Saiyans. Callion for her part couldn't shake off a certain shiver as she didn't like this reply, and the disloyal comment that soon followed. "Radditz was a weakling and a fool. Any Saiyan who could be beaten so easily, doesn't deserve to live."

"Harsh, but true." Callion ground out, reluctantly of the same opinion despite her dismay towards it, approaching her pod. There was something to this side of the prince that she didn't much like, one that had been growing for some time, and was unlikely to settle down as the larger man believed it would.

Nappa murmured thoughtfully, his own uneasy thoughts not far from their fallen comrade, while a scout and a weakling Radditz was nonetheless a teammate. A comrade, and therefore someone who wasn't to be left behind. He knew that the two with him, may not have liked him, but to leave him to die struck him as utterly cold. "Hrrrm."

"Actually, Nappa I have something far more grand, in mind. Now tell me, how does the idea of eternal life sound to you?" Vegeta asked sounding not unlike a serpent in one's ears as the wheels in his head were turning, and as he urged those in his aide's own head to do so as well.

"What? Living forever? That sounds great." The former admiral of the Saiyan navy gasped, already able to see it, speaking up even as he turned around, to slam one meaty fist lightly on his vehicle which caused the door to open "Yeah! If we can't die, it means no one will ever be able to defeat us!"

"Sounds like a stupid idea." Callion retorted. "You're planning for us to waste a year of our lives, for something that may not exist, nevermind that it may not work the way we think they do. And on top of all that, regardless of how immortal you are, it won't change the fact that you'll still be little more than an insect compared to Frieza and Cooler."

"Did I ask you for your opinion, woman?" Vegeta growled as he climbed into his pod.

Nappa spoke up slowly, finally coming around to their way of thinking if reluctantly so, as he climbed into his own vehicle. "Raah, so what the heck would we need Radditz for?"

"You've got to be kidding, Nappa." Callion replied in a disappointed tone, not because she cared for Radditz or wanted him back, but because she truthfully hoped he would talk Vegeta out of wasting their time on such a trip and wild-goose chase.

"Yes. what for indeed? We'll be the greatest fighters in the universe. And we will ascend to our rightful place among the Saiyan warriors of legend! "

"Do you mean-?" Nappa started, before the others interrupted before his question was finished.

"Ugh. That ridiculous old wives' tale." The woman snorted only for Vegeta to ignore her, as he was so fond of doing of late.

"That's right, Nappa, that's exactly what I mean. We will become the strongest Super Saiyans!"

"Now I definitely like the sound of that!" Nappa stated as the pods were closing, Callion had a more practical comment to make.

"So you plan on being Frieza's pet slave forever? Just because you get immortality, doesn't mean you get ultimate power, that idiot's leaps of logic is just painful. I've got more important things to do, than flattering the inbred hick's cosmic sized ego." She wasn't too pleased on this matter, yet didn't offer any physical resistance, or any for that matter, with her pod closing with as much certainty as theirs had.

The pods glowed as their thrusters started up, they floated about a meter off the ground, then rising through the atmosphere flying at high speed into space, their destination: Earth. With Vegeta gloating, Nappa sighing in relief at another battle avoided, while Callion was busy grumbling under her breath, thus had life been between the three of them, for half a decade, and thus was it likely to continue as far as they were concerned for another half a decade.

These were their last thoughts right before their individual pods' hibernation function put them all to sleep, for the next year until they made it to earth. Where their destinies awaited them, though they had no way to know it just yet.


	2. Saiyan Invasion

AN: All dialogue save for one or two has been directly lifted from the series, this is but a novelization, so know that all characterization though streamlined, is completely accurate to that of both the anime and manga.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball, it is the property of Sunrise and Toriyama.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Saiyan Invasion

Not with a bang, nor a terrible explosion, or even gunfire but with a loud, screeching whistling sound did East City's end come bearing down upon them. Never before had anything quite like this ever, happened before in Earth's history. Never before, had such evil come bearing down, come with such malovalent intent.

Through twelve-story buildings, through the pavement, through the street did they smash, as indifferent towards the gawking, fleeing inhabitants of East City. Who had previously made the mistake, of assuming this would be a day like any other, with this being the last mistake many in the larger buildings in the way of the Space Pods' would ever make (until revived later).

The dust, noise and terror kicked up by the pods, was unlike anything the people of the peaceful East City had ever endured before, or seen. They were in a tropical location, renowned for its humidity, and a certain lack of wind thus those farther away and thus safely out of the initial harm's way, were bewildered by the gust that swept many off of their feet, and down the road a little.

To the Saiyans, this was a good landing. Nothing to worry about, as they were able to not just walk away from it, but could fly off too if they so wished. Each of the three had similar reactions to the landing, once the hibernation process had come to an end, and they were released from a year's sleep the first noticeable things to them was their arrival. Then came the satisfaction that they hadn't died in space, or hadn't flown through a meteor shower, with a smirk coming to all three of their lips.

Activating the release button on the door, the lower two in rank were quick to breath a sigh of relief, while the third one pulled a familiar remote and put it in a hidden pocket in the interior of his armoured suit. Soon, he told himself, very soon he might just use it…

The moment the citizens of East City saw the doors unlatch they all gasped, gasps that grew in magnitude as the curious folk gaped as three humanoid figures stepped out of the small white space-ships. With some crying to flee from the city, others hoping to restore calmness and still others just staring at the slowly rising figures that stepped out of the pods.

And thus, for the first time in recorded history, aliens spoke to man, with the first words coming out of the seven and a half foot tall bald one. And they were auspicious ones indeed; "Raa, my neck is killing me," He whined.

The three of them stretched, with the female one stretched her back out a little thrusting her chest forward to the voyeuristic pleasure of one or two older businessmen, as there was a distinct 'crack' sound heard from her previously stiff back.

"Don't get me started on my back," She retorted to her compatriot, who shot her a small smirk despite the fact that he couldn't see her. They had crashed so hard into the ground of the city that, they were all standing in ten meter deep craters.

Their arrival was duly noted by the defenders of the Earth. Those brave men, who had taken on the self-appointed task to defend the people of the world, of all the different dog-like, cat-like, humanoid races of the Earth, and of all ethnicities and of both genders from all that was vile in the world. Be it, aliens, demons or monsters, regardless of the risk involved. With a year's preparation, they had hoped to be better prepared, or more confident especially given the risks involved.

The first to notice the new arrivals, was naturally the mighty Demon King, upon who's territory they had stepped. Unknowing of the gravity and sinfulness of such a mistake, or so one would think given the track record of most who had dared to defy him and his majesty. The next to notice was naturally Gohan, followed by Krillin, Goku's plucky best-friend and all but twin brother, then the rest of his family of wayward, valiant heroes.

Not that this occurred or was a consideration to the over-confident Saiyans, who were busy floating out of the deep craters they had embedded themselves in. The three of them flew out at a langorious pace. Clearly, at ease with themselves and their surroundings, revelling in the fear of the locals and in the power that that fear and shock gave them, over them.

Glancing around themselves, out of the corner of their eyes hardly listening to the locals who spoke the same tongue as they themselves. The Saiyans stood tall, or at least one of them did and the other almost did, while the prince stood short, in their Chillian combat uniforms. Two of them proud of it, and one indifferent, as the people wondered to themselves who or what these three new arrivals could be.

"So what should we do with these gawking fools? They bother me." Nappa grunted out from between clenched teeth, misliking the gathered crowds who stood all around them, staring in open fear and uncertainty.

"Wh-who are they?" One Bystander said to another in a hushed voice.

Only for a second one to rebuttal, "Wh-what are they?"

"Ooh I don't know, why don't you decide for once." Vegeta returned amusedly, with a broad smirk on his lips, keen to egg his subordinate on, something that easily worked on him what with how little impulse control Saiyans had by nature.

"Hunh, really thanks Vegeta. This is gonna be a lot of fun for me." The much larger man retorted to his surrogate son, snickering just as much as he did, baring his white teeth to the crowd before them, who shrunk back a little.

Callion narrowed her eyes at the royal, smeling a trap yet not saying anything, despite the suspicion that this was one of his games. He liked to play those, she knew and he wasn't usually very good at them either, or so experience had taught her.

Sure enough, Vegeta tittered in response as he answered, "Don't mention it."

Nappa chuckled only to slowly raise his initially open palm, so that he was pointing two fingers upwards, unleashing a ki attack upon the city destroying a huge section of it. The light of the explosion was seen, felt and heard from all around not just the area, but the whole of the planet as the winds and tornadoes caused by the outburst of energy, was incomparable with anything felt on the planet in almost twenty-five hundred years.

While the Z-Senshi as one might call them, reacted with instant horror not just at the magnitude of the power, but also out of disgust at the cruelty out on display. The Saiyans floated a little higher up, amusement on two of their faces, with Vegeta expecting the blast to do away with his woman of a companion, the other first-class Saiyan was too busy indulging whilst the third-class huffed out a breath, with her arms crossed. She didn't much like such games, all the clothing stores in the area had just been destroyed too after-all.

To see the crater that had been created by the weakest of the three, was to behold the most terrible act ever committed by any foe, of the family of heroes. It stretched out throughout, the whole of what was once East City, was deep enough so that one could slip and break a neck on landing and was particularly horrifying for those who had had families or hopes, or dreams that lay in the once marble white city.

All that remained was the three space-pods. And their three monstrous masters, who surveyed the ravaged area with very different reactions. One triumph, one haughty superiority and the last with open apathy bordering on hostility.

"Do you think I was trying too hard to impress them, Vegeta?" Nappa cheered rather taken with his handiwork, with little thought to how truly terrible it really was.

"There isn't anyone left to impress, Nappa I should have known better than to let you have any fun." Vegeta said cuttingly, having deliberately set up this ploy, as he rather did enjoy reducing his flunky's self-worth down to nothing.

"But why? Hey c'mon, a little destruction won't affect the sales-price of this planet, what's the big deal?" Whined the former general of the whole Saiyan army, not seeing what the problem was with his little act, as the buyer was already lined up.

It wasn't that he couldn't see what it was his superior was doing, but it was simply that he refused to see it for the abuse that it truly was. To him, the younger man simply had a bit too much spirit is all, it wasn't something to correct or complain about really, it was just that he needed more battles to take the edge off him.

Where this was his solution to Vegeta's bad habits, and sociopathic tendencies, his other comrade who was in the midst of rolling her eyes, would have loved little more than to cut the royal down. Literally. Not for Nappa's sake exactly, but out of simple spite and vindictive fury, against these silly little games that had no real clear purpose or point, other than to make the short little man, feel better about himself.

"Try to use your brain, we came here for the dragonballs, remember? For the wish. You remember the wish, don't you Nappa?" The son of the last king of Saiyans grumbled in response, acting as though the idea to blow up the city wasn't really his own idea, but rather that of his minion's.

"Do you?" Callion bit out coldly.

"Well, yeah. We were gonna wish for immortality, weren't we?" Nappa asked unsure if Vegeta had changed his incredibly changeable heart and mind about it. One never knew, when or to what he would change his ideas to, as he did tend to be rather fickle.

"Good, and we need all seven balls? So let me ask you; what if one of the balls happened to be in the city you just destroyed?" Vegeta said condescendingly, having not previously thought of that detail himself, but wanting-no needing to ground down the other man just as another man might need his next fix of heroin or cocaine.

"Then it'd be your own fault, for letting Nappa have his fun." Callion snapped impatiently, irritated by his little game of grounding down Nappa for his own misgivings. She knew both the real source of Vegeta's resentment against their comrade, and the more recent cause for his constant waspish behaviour towards him.

It could be tied in with the fact that he was jealous of how popular Nappa was with the ladies, and with other men. A man's man, the former general had a certain warmth and charm that drew those around to him. Not to mention, he had fathered the younger man with all the doting love, of a mother-bear with her cub, something which annoyed Vegeta who had a tendency to idealize his incompetent, arrogant father.

The more recent reason that served as a semi-excuse, had to do with a hot-bath incident, wherein Vegeta and Radditz had gotten to see rather more than any liked of Nappa. And had left all three fuming, resentfully towards him, and all equally jealous or petty over the incident which Callion had the immense pleasure of reminding them of every once in a while. With the young woman having been seventeen at the time, and having been on the other side of the large wooden palisade that had separated the sexes. So she had overheard everything, despite her then drowsy state of mind and indifference.

"I'm sorry," Nappa apologized genuinely contrite eager to also avoid yet another verbal scrap between Vegeta and Callion, with a glance towards her that told her not to say a word. About either a certain hot-spring incident, or anymore about the fact that the plan was Vegeta's,"I guess I just forgot about that, huh."

"Well let's both forget about it." Vegeta snapped, "What's done cannot be undone. Now first we need to find out who has the highest power level. He'll be the one who finished off Radditz."

"But why? What's the point? I thought we came here, for your balls not to clean up that fool's mess." Callion said deliberately making sure to make a pun out of their little quest, one which was further highlighted by the slight unladylike snort that escaped her.

It was filled with derision for her superior and humour at her own joke, with it drawing a wrinkle from Nappa's nose as though he had just drunk bitter milk and didn't much like the taste. Over the years, he had heard more than his faire share of puns, and had grown to generally dislike them. In no small part due to his female peer's near obsession with them.

Moving past her small joke, the trio who had never gone down for a landing, after the explosion of ki-energy, turned their attention westwards. As one they pushed the primary button on their scouters, with there only being three of them, it didn't give much choice in button selection. With all three buttons though serving key roles, with these Scouters some of the most advanced technology, in the universe, courtesy of the great scientists of the planet Chill.

The first to notice and comment upon the first problem to confront their initial plan, to find Radditz's murderer being the tallest out of all of them. An expression of surprise gracing all three of their faces, yet none more so than the bald man himself.

"Hunh?" Nappa uttered, as his scouter began to detect more than half a dozen people with power levels as high if not higher than that of Radditz. "More than half a dozen people on this planet, have a power level over 1,000. How is that possible?"

"How should I know?" Vegeta , "Maybe they've been preparing for us. Not to worry, let's start out by finding the strongest one."

"What gave that away?" Callion grunted under her breath when Vegeta asked his question back, shaking her head with a short shrug to his next point.

Nappa nodded sagely more to himself it seemed than to the younger two Saiyans, who had very diverging opinions as always of the situation, "Just found two of them. They definitely have the highest fighting power on the planet."

"Really?" Vegeta said slowly, as though he were giving it a great deal of thought, when the truth was that it didn't require much. Or at least, he had already made his decision, the only one to make given the situation they were in. "Then this might be interesting, after all."

Nappa grunted robustly punching his right fist into his left palm, glad to have the squad leader's support in this matter. He wanted to quash someone, after a year of inactivity and more than a dozen years without anyone nearly this powerful or challenging. If the minimum power-level for these guys was one thousand, than the friends of Kakarot were already proving themselves to be vastly, more amusing and worth the trip than almost anyone encountered in the aforementioned dozen years.

For one such as him, the idea of a challenge was almost as exhilarating as the actual act, as the reality of being challenged had not occurred in some time, he had almost forgotten what it meant to fight with all that he had. He only hoped that, these Earthlings could do better against him, than they had against Radditz.

Because otherwise, they'd all soon be dead.

"Or it could be a colossal waste of time," Callion muttered expressing the opposite opinion of Vegeta, almost at once without thought. It wasn't as though she always disagreed automatically with the prince, but it happened often enough that one could almost assume her view as being the opposite after having listened to his.

Keen to leave the bad air between them, along with the city, Nappa led the charge with as much forced enthusiasm as genuine joy. It had been a very stiff, uncomfortable year for them and he was determined to enjoy the next few moments of freedom and exercise. A very physical person by nature, he was as boisterous in his approval of this planet he had already taken a liking to, just as the other two trailed after him.

Taking flight faster than the speed of sound, they bounded off towards the greatest of Earth's protectors in terms of pure energy. For Saiyans flight was something that came almost second nature to them, from almost the moment after they learnt to walk. In the case of Vegeta he was barely two before he had figured it out, and Nappa had been five.

Thus by the time of the present, where Vegeta was thirty-four years old, and Nappa forty-six, this had left them with not just speed whilst in the air but a certain amount of grace and dignity. Despite having been eight when she had first learnt, something which was considered a disgrace, as there was no one save Ban who knew to flew on Battle-World, Callion followed them with ease.

Indifferent towards dignity or grace, hers was a cold sort of dignity, although one that soon began to dissolve in the warm sunshine of the beautiful planet. Though, she had no wish to approve of the planet, it's gravity was weak and it had considerable beauty in the form of many lakes, mountains, forests and landscape unlike any other in the universe.

Soon even she bore a grin upon her face, one that the prince had shared a bit before her, reluctantly conceding that the planet was magnificent also. But where the two lower classes were enjoying it for it's own sake, one because he appreciated beauty a great deal in all its forms, and the other because she was already planning to lounge on one of the many beaches, his was the smile of an approving real-estate agent. The price for the planet, already something he was certain would be exorbitant enough, to make Frieza approve and promote him.

"Ha! Amazing! This planet's weak gravity makes me feel like a kid again! I'm invincible!" Nappa shouted with a loud laugh, one that echoed throughout all the land, as the terrible trio flew through the air, towards the top-tier warriors in this corner of the galaxy.

* * *

"To repeat an unknown force of devastating power has completely destroyed all of East City. Government officials have ruled out the possibility of foreign acts of war. There were no earthquakes in the area but noted physicists that the bright white light that surrounded the city could have been caused by a multi-dimensional shift." The news anchor announced gravely, his voice shaken and confused as an on the sight camera-team showed a recording of the devastated remains of the once glorious city to the viewers, destroying all that had once been there, and all those within the city. "Some officials cannot help, but wonder if given the largeness of the light and the effects, if perhaps this is in some way, a clue to the return of the terrible King Piccolo. That he may be planning, yet another coup. We'll be waiting for further updates."

The news-anchor's face and desk took prominence, with but a few minutes survey of the sight, it left the old Turtle Hermit under no illusions. And given the size and scope of the destruction there, it was obvious that this was not the work of Piccolo. He could achieve something like this, but it was uncharacteristic, as to reduce production and cultural sights went against his every goal of dominating such places. He needed production for conquest, and cultural sights were something that the younger Piccolo had never really touched, he reluctantly conceded.

No, given the size of the blast, and just how unusual the manner in which the power that had decimated the area had been, it was not the Demon King. It was something far worse, something he had been waiting for, for the better part of the past year and with increasing anxiety, impatience and melancholy. For he knew what it likely signified for the Earth, not to mention his grandson's friends and family, along with his own adoptive son, his youngest and heir Krillin.

"Well, the day has finally arrived." Roshi murmured darkly, dressed simply in one of his usual orange button-up shirts, and dark pants, a grim expression on his face.

"C'mon, let's go alert the others, I can tell you where they are." Bulma said as she strapped the scouter to her left ear, dressed in a dark blue dress that hugged her figure closely, as she turned to the others expecting them to jump at the chance just as she was.

"Nooo, what are you?! Crazy?! What are we gonna do?" Oolong objected almost at once, horrified by the idea of rushing out there to his doom.

"Oolong you're such a coward!" The cyan/green haired woman snapped impatiently, at the poor pig while the master shook with barely repressed frustration.

He wished for nothing more than to take her up on the offer, he wished he could have. Why, even in his prime he'd be little more than a joke to the Saiyans, let alone Piccolo, heck even Korin had considered him something of a joke. Still though, up until the young men out there in the field of battle (or soon to be there), he had been the Earth's only and mightiest defender. Thus to sit back where it was safe, where he could do nothing was almost more than he could bear.

All that such talk was doing was rubbing salt in a wound that had never quite closed, since he had lost in battle to King Piccolo. Which time, whether it was in his youth or as an old codger even he wasn't sure.

"Yeah, we're going to help, you just tell us what to do Master Roshi and we'll do it." Puar agreed at once, as fierce as ever. Showing just who and where Yamcha had gotten his ferocity from as a person, with his adoptive-mother eager to rush over there and to protect her baby as best she possibly could. She had already lost the younger of her two surrogate babies (Goku), and had no great desire to bury the other immediately after having revived the other.

"Sorry gang, Oolong's right." Roshi conceded reluctantly, looking down to his balled-up fists which were still clenched and trembling from the force of his emotions, as he spoke, he forced his fists to his sides in a show of defeat.

"What!?" Bulma demanded shocked by this admission on the part of the old man.

"I'm afraid it's true. This sort of battle is just way out of our league. We'd only get in the way of the others if we were there, with them." The Master of the Turtle School said heavily, his voice as sorrowful as the passing of summer into winter, as the leaves on the trees die and the season changes to one of frigidness, and decay.

"Yeah, I guess so." Bulma sighed, sounding as though it were her teeth being pulled, as Oolong nodded energetically, the fear of death written all over him, his face almost blue with terror.

"Oh my goodness, Yamcha!" Puar squeaked faintly, her overriding concern for her baby as her heart broke then and there. She had always been there to all but protect him, in his youth before he had become capable of fighting and hunting, thus, to know that she could no longer do that even on an emotional level, shattered her in some ways. And in other ways, it filled her with pride for the man he had become, or would have to become to survive this day.

"Goku, where are you?" Bulma wondered desperately, not understanding why Goku had magically appeared on Earth or something, to rescue them from what seemed to be the Earth's darkest hour.

* * *

"It's time. Man are they moving!" Yamcha declared as he sensed the enormous power of the enemy from the distant tropical island, some distance away from West City almost on the other side of the continent, sensing that the enemy was moving from East City, and towards the north-west, almost opposite his own position. Behind him lay the western mountains, their shadows high above all but ominously looming over him.

Krillin sensed them coming, while he was in the middle of removing his dark weighted undershirt from his short muscular chest, in the midst of a forest far, far to the north.

"Well, alright at that speed, it won't take them very long to get to Piccolo and Gohan. Goku you better hurry up and get back, you know how much I hate fighting without you." Krillin prayed to his best friend, unsure if the man could hear him, yet he had done so for so long this past year, that the act of praying/speaking to his deceased friend had become all but second-nature to him. His words but a mere hint of the great bond that united the two, who had fought but a handful of times without each other over the course of their lives, as they were inseparable since almost the first moment, they met one another.

"Gohan get ready, they're headed straight for us." Piccolo warned alarmed by the magnitude of the power he felt from the three monsters who had just made landfall onto his homeworld, disgust on his face and the sun high above their heads.

"Right." Gohan said nodding, barely paying the wind much mind, all around them lay the fields and mountains that were so common, in the area directly three hundred kilometers to the north-west of East City.

"Chaotzu, look why don't you just stay here." Tien suggested as they flew over the landscape of the Earth, eyes not on the beautiful scenery or the deserts that they crossed, but upon the battle that lay ahead of them.

"No way, I'm coming. I didn't train so hard, for nothing, besides I'm coming with you." Chaotzu refused at once, to Tien's visible surprise and dismay, resolute to such an extent that not even Piccolo or Goku could have talked him down if they had tried.

It would be a lie to say that Tien Shinhan was not proud, for he was beyond words. And yet, he had a sudden premonition that he would regret this decision, one that irked him so much in that moment. What with how Chaotzu had never before defied him, or contradicted him in the past (save on the matter of Launch trailing after them every once in awhile). He said nothing, not wanting to disrespect his friend's courage or steel with words of doubt, or his own fears when what he should be focused on, was the battle at hand. The worst ones of their lives up until that moment.

"They're on their way here. Gohan do not be afraid, your preparation has been excellent, have faith in yourself." Piccolo told his pupil, standing tall as he threw away his weighted cape and tore off his turban with one large hand.

So majestic did the Demon King stand that any who would have happened upon the scene, and seen him then, could be excused for thinking he would live forever. Or that, today's threat was nothing, as the passing wind is to a volcano, or to a tiger, these aliens could no more harm him, than the aforementioned breeze.

And when one thought about Piccolo's war-record, such an assumption was a natural one, given how there had only ever been one man, who had ever defeated or even matched him before; Goku. And even in those battles, it had been a close thing that had almost left the other man physically little more than a broken, crippled shadow of his prior self (were it not for the magic of senzu beans that is).

"I'm ready." Gohan said and he truly thought he was in that moment, not realizing that he was in no way, shape or form at all ready for what lay ahead of him that terrible day. Still, such courage would soon come naturally to him, not just later on Namek, but when all would be destroyed around him, and he would stand alone against the world worsts nightmares…

"What is this? There is someone else coming this way!" Piccolo declared frightened his previous unflappable confidence eroding as a new power rushed towards them from the distant north, "It looks like there might be one more than we expected."

"But I thought you said, there were only supposed to be two saiyans." Gohan complained his own confidence eroding, as he shook with uncertain fear until he saw who it was that. Appearing behind them, landing first atop a nearby mountain behind Piccolo, in a deliberate act intended to impress, as much as it was to avoid leaving his back open to the demon, Gohan recognized the orange-clad man at once, with a gasp that showed how impressed and pleased he was to see his uncle. "It's Krillin."

"Right, how 'bout some help?" Krillin remarked with a cocky snort and grin on his face, as he came in for a landing before them.

"Yeah, sure why not." Piccolo agreed with a short chuckle, only to add teasingly without real rancor, which was quite the improvement considering how he would have once reacted to such a display. As all knew that any who dared to try to sneak up, on the Demon King, would have once upon a time been left a burning carcass, or ashes. If they were fortunate that is. "But things are gonna get intense, you might just slow us down Krillin."

"I doubt that." Krillin replied with equal amusement/levity and warmth, unsure himself of just how they had gotten to the point where, HE could joke with the man who was the reincarnation of his own murderer. "I've been doing a little training of my own."

"So you have." Piccolo noted with a wide grin and a nod, an approving look in his eyes only to glance to the left, where he could feel the Saiyans coming from. "I could feel a significant increase in your 'power level'."

Following his gaze, the shorter man agreed silently, accepting the unspoken truce and alliance that had just been offered. Where once he would have whined, and complained to Goku that there could be no deals or alliances, or even friendships with the demon, he now had acquiesced to one. What was the world coming to?

"Man, Goku's running late, we'll have to hold out without him somehow." Krillin complained irritably, earning himself a silent nod from the green-skinned giant next to him, sharing in his morbid disapproval for how long it was taking their mutual friend to appear.

"He's coming? I mean, you really know that for sure, Krillin?" Gohan asked anxiously, eager to see his daddy again.

"Huh? Of course, he is. Master Roshi just talked to him the other day." Krillin explained keen to put the child at ease, having always been fond of children, particularly this one he had no wish to see him in pain, or in the midst of distraction right before the worst battle, possibly in all of history. "Don't worry Gohan, he'll be here alright."

Gohan hurried over to Krillin, a huge smile on his young face suddenly in awe of the bearer of good news he's waited for all year long. "Wow, that's great thanks Krillin. Hey, you grew up with my dad, didn't you? He said guys thought you, couldn't fight because, you were so short."

Krillin gave him an irritated look, his hands on his hips as he mentally grumbled; of all the things Goku had to tell his kid, it had to be that. Why that Goku, always up to mischief! Why if he were present, the dwarf would slug him on basic principle, rather than out of exasperation at his lateness.

"Short huh? Actually, we were the same size. But then, he kept growing and I stopped." This last part was remarked with a tinge of light bitterness, Krillin's dwarfism still a sensitive topic to him.

The midget brushed it from his mind, putting it aside for later to ask Goku, just what it was he was teaching his kid, and speaking of teaching. He leant close to Gohan, with the back of his right hand over the side of his mouth as he whispered to Gohan, having consistently worried over him this past year, "By the way, are you alright? No one's ever trained with Piccolo before."

"Ahhh, it wasn't that bad. Once you get used to him, he's great." Gohan said showing he had completely changed from the cry-baby he was the year before.

He had become more like Goku at his age, than Krillin would have liked, his friend having had a difficult childhood. Something Gohan, probably shared with his father now, along with a special fondness for the Demon King that Krillin just couldn't understand. Ever since the World's Martial Arts Tournament, Goku had adored Piccolo and would often defend him in public, or claim that he was 'just a little gruff, but he's a real softy if given half the chance', quite frankly it was the most peculiar of Goku's traits to his friend's mind. Well that, and the bottomless pit for a stomach, and the fact that the man was married to Chi-Chi, whom he claimed was 'the most gentle woman on Earth' (yeah right, Krillin would ofttimes say sarcastically).

"Hey that's enough of your small-talk, they're here." Piccolo grunted at them, in a tone that was as annoyed as it was gruff, a bitter smile on his lips that promised pain for his image being damaged by Gohan's innocent words (ones that Goku had been fond of saying, though in a much more mischievous tone). His eyes on the heavens above where the enemy hovered high above them, his words pulling a gasp from the duo behind him.

Studying the trio before them, the three Saiyans who glowered back at what two of them recognized as a Namekian (the female had never encountered them before), though they soon relaxed with what could only be described as overconfidence, if one was being generous, and arrogance if one was being honest. Studying their three foes, they could tell that they were strong, and that they were accustomed to the heat of battle. Or at least the two older ones were.

The moment of staring and studying one another, was shared by Piccolo and Krillin, whom took in the armour, took in the muscled physiques, and something more; the enormous waves of energy barely hidden from the surface. With the foe's dark eyes reminding them of the coldness and savagery that had surrounded the psychopathic and irredeemable Radditz.

"So one more joined them. What do you suppose these three are doing out in the middle of nowhere?" Nappa taunted mockingly, with an insidious chortle, relishing in the stiffness, and the fear that permeated the air around what he considered to be their prey.

"I think they were waiting for us. Yes, I'm sure of it." Vegeta said with a smirk and a grin that could have sent a shiver down the worst scum in the universe's spines, so great was the insanity that permeated from him.

The first to recover from the momentary uncertainty that had filled the heroes, was Piccolo who couldn't help but stare. The bald one was taller than himself, something that gave even him pause, as he saw there not simple inches but a lifetime of suffering, of war and battle. A lifetime of the sort of experiences he, himself had millennia of and was intimately aware of the danger that lay therein.

He couldn't afford to underestimate this foe, for he was a wolf, a hunter. One who hunted other predators not simply for food but for sport. Those were the worst kind to challenge to the death. For they knew far too well, how others hunted and how best to entrap them. It was wiser to avoid such men, or to wait for them to weaken themselves against another foe, before heading in for the kill.

Or so he had once thought. He knew after having met Garlic Jr. that there was a worst breed of men and predators, one that simply thirsted for blood, for death with no real reason behind their actions. Experience and newness didn't change them, strategies and philosophy mattered nothing to them, only fire and blood and the screams of their victims mattered to them. The shortest of the trio, was mad. There was no two ways about it, there wasn't a lick of good, or forethought to the consequences of his evil in his eyes.

And as the worst, as the greatest of all demons, Piccolo knew something about madness, about evil, being a dark lord, he couldn't help but feel disturbed by this particular Saiyan. For deep down, he reminded him of Radditz, in certain keyways even if there wasn't the intelligence, the calculation that he had seen in the pair of eyes from a year prior. This Saiyan was all fury, all cruelty.

As to the third… well, 'Radditz said there were two of them! Damn, should have known that even with his last breath, the bastard would lie. It is just typical of his sort, of scum.'

He could be excused for this particular thought, given how much of a snake Goku's elder brother was. With the last of the Saiyans to his surprise a female, something that already made him want to rub his temple. In his experience, females were whiny, high-maintenance and loud, not to mention obnoxious.

With that said, he could tell that though this female, likely had all of these qualities, she had more to her than that. She was savage, ruthless and greedy, there was so much greed and ambition there that he paused at her. She could have given his previous life pause, despite how much greed and ambition were virtues to him, her degree of these ideals were likely far too much even for his taste.

She reminded him of the bald Saiyan, though without as much experience, though he could tell that there was something of Goku in there. Maybe not the sheer genius, but there was cunning, courage and something of the boy who had been born, raised and trained on nothing but battlefields in her. Perhaps that was simply the nature of the Saiyans, he mused, to be little more than engines of destruction or battle.

He wasn't the only one doing their share of examinations, as he mentally pondered about these foes, and about the wisdom of his choice in battlefields (a desolate wasteland now empty of even wildlife). The Saiyans did their own examining, or at least two of them did.

Nappa measured up the midget, fairly certain that he wouldn't crack despite appearances. Having fought enough heroes and villains, he knew the cowards from the warriors, and knew that this man though scared, wouldn't back away from a challenge should push come to shove. Good, he respected that.

As to the brat, if he had to guess it was Kakarot's boy, he wasn't sure what to make of him, but he was sure he soon would. And then there was the Namek, now there was something that Nappa didn't know what to make of. What was he doing so far away, from the reclusive Namekians' homeworld? It didn't make any sense, though given that species genius for battle and the glower this one was giving them, his reasons for being on the battlefield was a little self-evident. He wanted blood. Namely theirs.

Which was fine by Nappa. Just as it was fine by Callion, who had already summed up the midget, decided that like her taller companion, they would have to wait and see what he would prove himself to be; be it hero or coward. Though, she did so more indifferently, it mattered very little to her, since he would likely be dead either way in her book.

While she may have been indifferent towards Krillin, and may have studied the green man with keen interest, sensing an equal, or at least a challenge there. One not lightly challenged or crossed, something which as in the case of the other two Saiyans made a shiver of anticipation shoot up and down her spine. She soon moved her gaze to the surrounding area very briefly.

_'And trying to keep this battle, away from the cities or any of this planet's people.' _Callion thought as she noted the desolateness of their surroundings, guessing that it had been chosen for a very specific purpose, namely for the coming battle.

It was almost predictable how much their foes had prepared for them, they must have chosen this particular location with this very day in mind. Mountains, plenty to hide behind and plenty of open fields, for open battle. With no real civilians or people to get in the way of the battle, or likely to get hurt. The concern these people had for their fellows was pathetic to her mind.

Which brought her to the young child, who lay before them, slightly behind the other two defenders of the Earth. His stance strong, if slightly uncertain, with Callion having seen millions of other children, take up arms against her, and hold themselves similarly. And yet, there was something to his eyes… something there she didn't much like, for it made her feel unsure.

He was Kakarot's boy, she just knew it. She could almost feel it in her bones, with the huge mop of hair almost a giveaway, given who the lad's uncle was. If he proved to be as much of a disappointment as his uncle had been, she would rip those eyes out before she was done with him, she told herself.

_'Still, I have never seen such pure eyes, just as I have never heard of a four-year old having a power-level over 1,000,'_ She thought to herself, staring at the boy, and already making a mental note not to turn her back to him, as Radditz had. To underestimate the boy was a folly, she had no desire to repeat herself, after her deceased peer had already done.

Examining the three, Krillin's only impression was that they were one and all as psychotic as Radditz. He could feel the evil, and the power even at this distance, he could also, already foresee that this battle would test everything that they were. And that these monsters, were unlikely to let a single one of them walk away, if given half the chance.

With that said, he hadn't known of Radditz's words that there would only be two, and thus he had hoped for but a small number and felt a mixture of relief and despair at the sight of them. Relief at the small number, three was definitely better than four to half a dozen, and despair because of just how off the three felt. Something in their auras felt out of place, as though they were using ki in the wrong way, or breathing wrongly, or something. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Their ki-using abilities reminded him strongly of Radditz, except much, much bigger than him. With only the female one seeming almost natural, though even she felt wrong to him, if he could have he would have consulted with his father or Kami about this. He was sure they could have philosophized or conversed about it all day long. It was a discussion, he would sooner be dead than suffer through, he thought to himself with a bit of gallows humour. Unaware of the truth; that he in reality would have likely pitched in and enjoyed it, as much as Tien or even Goku did.

Krillin began to shake, overwhelmed by all that he felt and could feel in that moment, speaking up, he spoke to his comrades, particularly the green one. "Woah, this is it. It's really happening. So these are the saiyans, can you feel those power-levels? They're even stronger, than I imagined! What are we gonna do guys?"

His fear spreading to Gohan, while Piccolo stared on grimly hiding his own nervousness only to allow it to flow through and out of him in one breath. What little he kept within him, would serve a practical purpose as all things did to him; it would serve as energy and fodder to his great courage and attacks.

Vegeta chuckled as he, Callion and Nappa flew down to the earth to, to stand on the ground, all but laying claim to it with each of their two feet, "So we meet at last."

"The pleasure is mine." Piccolo retorted evenly, without a hint of any such emotion in his voice, face or stance. They all stared each other down for one long moment before he spoke again. This time in warning, one that had they known the price of the battle to come, would have left the Saiyans fleeing for one of Frieza's many space-stations in a heartbeat. "I'm only going to say this once. Leave this planet. This is your first and last chance to get out of this alive."

"That voice," Vegeta said as he recognised the Demon King's voice, from the recording of his former victim's battle from the previous year. "I see. You're the one who defeated Radditz, one year ago."

"My voice?" Piccolo queried in confusion, not trusting them or their words careful to guard his curiosity as such a thing could be a weakness if properly utilized by a cunning foe.

Too bad he wasn't dealing with a cunning foe, in that moment. As Vegeta gave away far more information than his female compatriot felt at ease giving away, his arrogance though soon spread to the tallest in their circle. With the prince unaware of the saying that Cooler had loved, Callion appreciated and Piccolo had always believed in; that theatricality and deception were powerful agents. And could be utilized to become more than just a man in the mind of one's opponent.

Such a maneuver could change a battle, could persuade a stronger foe that victory was impossible and failure inevitable. With the likes of Goku having utilized it time and again, just as Piccolo had. Therefore, for him to glean so much information so easily, also revealed a great deal psychologically to him and Krillin; the Saiyans were arrogant, foolish and not terribly bright it seemed. Unaware that illusion, and image was oft more powerful than the reality of invincibility.

"Right, didn't Radditz tell you?" Vegeta boasted as he pointed at his scouter with his left index finger. "Our scouters also work as communicators."

_'Fool, we should have kept it a secret, that way we built ourselves up as more than men and women in their minds. It'd give us an advantage,'_ Callion complained in her mind, irritated by Vegeta's lack of forethought. But such an error in judgement in truth, was more her and Nappa's faults, for they were the ones capable of foresight and should have predicted, Vegeta would reveal any and all crucial information to the enemy. Thus they had already made their first mistakes of the day.

"Huh, the green one's from Namek isn't he?" Nappa asked suddenly, finally placing Piccolo's appearance in his mind, having been silent up until now, as he fought to put together in his memory why Piccolo looked familiar, keen to satisfy his own curiosity rather than only, the enemies' inquisitiveness.

"Yes, he's from Namek alright. No wonder Radditz had such a hard time with him and Kakarot." Vegeta commented having recognized him almost faster, as he had been party to one of Frieza's bargains with a Namek once upon a time, some thug with a name to that effect who had wanted to buy a planet to refuel some overgrown ship or something.

The knowledge that he was from outer space, was new and struck an instant chord in the Demon King, who had never suspected the truth. Born but ten years prior, and the reincarnation of what was, essentially the evil half of Kami who had no memories, of traveling the stars, he could not have suspected the truth.

It was something he felt no shame in though, and while he was personally shocked, there was one who was listening through him who had wisdoms and knowledges far beyond Frieza, Vegeta or even Cooler's wildest imaginings.

Old, and knowledgeable, Kami had retained his knowledge if unconscious of the Namekian language like his evil half's son, though in his case he did remember some things. Such as a fortuitous landing, in a desolate and highly lonely place, after a series of catastrophies that had left him inside a ship, all alone only to end up on a planet that neither understood nor desired him. But which he still fell in love with, and sought to protect only to be taken advantage of, and violated on so many levels by the jealous, greedy self-serving previous Guardian of the Earth.

"I'm from Namek?" Piccolo murmured stunned by this unexpected discovery, and yet the word seemed somehow familiar. As though he had heard it before, in a dream or was it a memory? No, it had to be a memory, a sliver of one. The word seemed warm and cold all at once, and left him with a strange longing, an emptiness that needed filling. He didn't understand why, only that he needed to find out more, to seek it out, in order to better understand himself.

"Piccolo I-I didn't know you were from outer space. 'Course it makes sense." Krillin said almost as shocked as Piccolo was by the news, though the latter began to tremble, enraged by the smugly mocking looks in the eyes of the Saiyans, who seemed to look down upon his lack of knowledge about himself.

_'It seems that Goku, wasn't the only one who crash-landed upon this planet, without a clue only to have the knowledge of his origin utilized, against him, how fate is a funny mistress. Seems, he and I are destined to be mirror images of one another, in almost every way, huh,'_ Piccolo thought to himself, suddenly wishing he could see his oldest friend and rival, if only to have someone who understood his feelings of humiliation and frustration against the Saiyans.

Who while they may have claimed to know him and Goku, he could tell they knew nothing of them, nor could they ever fully understand them. For they were breeds apart, with Piccolo resenting them all of a sudden, not just for telling him this, but for their self-believed kinship with his nemesis. It was as though they had intruded upon something somehow sacred to him, and he didn't like this feeling.

"Is-is that true Piccolo?" Gohan asked unsure of what to say, as he had no wish to upset his teacher.

"You didn't know? Well what a surprise, surely you must have suspected something before now?" Vegeta asked pointedly as he mocked the Namek, as though the Namek were a court-fool, taking pleasure in humiliating him. "The green skin and pointy ears are a dead give-away, don't you think?"

_'I'm from the planet Namek? I can't believe it! But-but at the same time I know it's true. Yes, it's true!'_ Piccolo thought as something of a flash of memory passed through him, his surprise wiping itself from his face to be replaced with a tart expression. These men may think that their knowledge of his original species entitled them to some knowledge of him, but it didn't. They didn't realize what the other half of his genetics were; the demonic half was currently screaming for blood, namely theirs.

"It was you told Radditz about the Dragonballs, now tell us where are they?" Vegeta commanded pointing at the one name Piccolo, with a sneer on his face.

"B-but no one knows where they are, not for a whole year!" Krillin exclaimed hurriedly, his explanation catching Callion's attention with this exclamation, as the Piccolo focused moment came to an end (a shame).

_'He doesn't sound like he's lying, and a recharge time for these balls makes sense. They must have used them already to revive Kakarot or something.' _Callion mused as the very reason for their being there, seemed to collapse beneath her feet._ 'And even were he to lie, our Scouters haven't picked up any such objects, so it stands to reason he's telling the truth. Has this been a complete waste of time?'_

"That's enough, we know the balls are down here. Make no mistake, we will find them. With you alive or with you dead. It's your decision, tell us where they are or you will all be killed." Nappa growled at them, waving a hand as though to say 'gimme 'em', and as though the Earthlings could instantly conjure the balls forth in order to hand them over to him.

"Ha, I wanna thank you." Piccolo drawled with a smirk on his green face, having recovered from his earlier moment of frozen stupefaction. "Because of you, I now know that I come from the planet Namek. But this is my planet now, and no one is going to tell me what to do with it. So back off, we're not here to bow down to your demands. We're here to fight!"

Piccolo then took a martial arts pose, with his legs spread out, one arm reared back behind him and the other spread forward with his claws/nails at the ready. Those claws could have and had pierced the thickest of armours in the world, many a times in the past. This being a case of his demonic background, which made him a fiercer fighter, who enjoyed and excelled in violence to such an extent that no true Namek ever could.

He was not the only one, who took up a martial-arts pose, with Krillin's own pose being more relaxed, drawn from the Turtle School as it was with his back straight and his fists at his sides if raised a little, as he stood facing the enemy straight on. Gohan who was familiar with the school, thanks to Piccolo took up the same pose.

Vegeta didn't understand the purpose of the pose, the implication of the kata or otherwise, grinned evilly at the sight of the pose. Martial-Arts were not a concept on planet-Vegeta, as Saiyans were bred to fight, kill rather than think about the process, or the means by which a punch was thrown, or a blast tossed. In some ways, they and the rest of the Chill Empire, were leagues ahead of those one Earth. And in others, they were vastly behind.

The pose was the sort of thing that Frieza would have looked upon, after three centuries of training in martial-arts, as natural. Yet, Vegeta who was the only one of the three Saiyans to have been offered personal training by the old tyrant, could not understand nor did he wish to understand, what the nature of martial-arts were and how the philosophies and katas could influence the battle. Offered training as a youth, he had refused out of snobbism, and since then had never heard of such things.

Nappa, understood the poses as he knew something about martial-arts, having studied and fought his way through what must have been half the universe to some. Between, his knowledge of evasion, defensive fighting and better ki management than any other Saiyan alive (outside Goku), he saw in the poses danger, and immediately was on his guard.

Like the prince, Callion didn't recognize the poses, though in her case she was surprised and confused. She had never seen this sort of thing before, and was naturally curious towards it, as it didn't seem like the trio before her were posing. Rather, it appeared as though they were preparing, and weighing each of the enemies' strengths and weaknesses, and stood ready to pounce towards either defense or attack, at any given moment.

Overhead came in the newscopters as some of the most brave (or foolhardy) reporters on Earth drew closer, loudly chattering to their viewers to the irritation of all those involved in the battle. Unfortunately, this was by no means an Earthling-based war, where both sides agreed on some level to fair and unbiased news coverage coming in, to record events. Neither side liked having these reporters nearby, nor did they care for the interference of the fools who had come to a battle they had already been warned to stay away from by Yajirobe.

Yet the most irritated of all those involved in the battle that was yet to come, it was the giant Nappa himself, who with a great cry and an open palm blasted one of them to smithereens. He did so just as the three had been on the verge of coming in for a landing, only for the other two to race off almost immediately in response to his seemingly ruthless act.

With some however, seeing his action as one based in mercy, as he had destroyed one of them and left the other two to flutter off, like frightened insects. Glaring over at them, the prince gave no sense of compassion, instead the hate in his eyes worsened the fear in the hearts of the idiotic news-reporters.

This fact, that Nappa had spared the other two and Vegeta hated them, was dully noted by Piccolo who filed this information away for usage in the battle to come. One was impatient, yet at some sense of fair-play of a sorts, while the other had a hair-trigger temper and no interest in controlling it._ 'Perhaps, that temper could prove his undoing…'_

"Let's get outta here!" The camera-man in the second copter shrieked in mortal terror, as the man realized it was too dangerous to get too close to the battle-field.

Krillin took up a newer readier positions, with his left arm held up level with the back of his head some distance away, and the right one held slightly lower and before him. He didn't quite ball up his hands into fists, holding two fingers higher than the other two with his thumbs pointed upwards back at the two index fingers. Between this and his straight back and spread legs, he looked about as ready to pounce as any man had ever been. His anger and outrage at the murders of those innocent people offended him on every level, with every fiber of his being screaming out, for justice.

Gohan for his part, resumed his prior pose with his fists balled up and held up a little above his waist yet at his sides back as was always the case in martial-arts; straight.

These changes, and the readiness with which they held themselves intrigued two of the Saiyans, while the middle one sneered (as he always did to all things and people).

"I guess they're not going to tell us where the dragonballs are Nappa," Vegeta said joyfully, motioning towards their foes with his overlong chin.

"Wanna bet? Alright, let's see how strong you really are." Nappa remarked as he pushed the button on his scouter, "Kid's at a thousand, Namek is at 1,400 and the midget is at 1,100. You fools! You really think you could beat us with such puny power-levels?"

"Hey Nappa, take your scouter off." Vegeta ordered as he took his own pink one off, just as a thought occurred to him at his companion's words.

"What?"

"It seems they know how to concentrate their energy and raise their fighting powers." Vegeta noted as though it were a big deal, rather than something that everyone in the universe knew how to do, and had known for some time.

_'As if everyone else in the universe can't do that.'_ Callion thought bitingly, as she thought of Frieza and his personal aides, and even Vegeta or Nappa or herself, refusing to take her own green one, off. The green one marking her out as the lowest in rank of all the Saiyans, in marked contrast to Nappa's light blue Scouter, and Vegeta's pink one.

Green was for scouts and third classes, light blue was for generals and captains, while pink was reserved solely for the top brass. The kings, dukes and other royals and such, with it being rumoured though that Cooler didn't use one for reasons that no one quite understood why.

"These figures are most unreliable," Vegeta sneered as he dropped his scouter onto the ground, to Nappa's brief surprise before he realized what he was thinking.

"Hey right, good call. Now I remember that pathetic loser, Radditz let himself be fooled by all of their power readings." Nappa commented as he played psychological warfare with the Earthlings, much to the approval of the female saiyan who kept her own Scouter on, she didn't care to take it off and throw it into the dirt as she'd need to put it into her ear again anyways.

"You two be ready for them." Piccolo said, worried by Nappa's words and the removal of the scouters, already anxious over the removal of them signified as it left the enemy immune to the sense of panic that had constantly gripped Radditz during his battle with the lesser Saiyan.

"Piccolo if they're stronger than Radditz and Goku isn't here, how do you expect to defeat them with just us?" Krillin murmured, visibly distressed by Nappa's words as well. Only to notice how Piccolo didn't have a response and was as worried as him, only for him to turn his gaze back to the enemy, not at all reassured yet nonetheless determined. "Oh, well guys, let's just do it."

"Nappa, I believe it is about time we have a little fun with them. Better yet, get those saibamen out. There should be six of them left, they'll do." Vegeta commanded his arms still crossed, and that ever-present smirk on his thin lips. He remembered those saibamen, had picked them out himself actually for being the toughest batch of 'em in the universe. Saibamen weren't typically all that powerful, but they could still be quite useful.

"You're too much, you really know how to have fun." Nappa said lightly as he cheered a little, searching about his utility-belt for the saibamen.

"Huh? Saibamen?" Krillin wondered quizzically, unsure of what these madmen were up to now.

"I don't see any men." Gohan murmured in confusion also, not realizing the little play on words he had just uttered even if those around him did and gave him slightly annoyed glances.

"Nice one kid, 'cause neither do I." Callion agreed wittily to his bafflement, as she smirked a little amused by his comment, her eyes still trained on him as they had been almost from the start of the conversation.

Nappa searched about, reaching over to the back of his utility-belt to pull a flask full of what looked to be six little peas, inside the clear container. Holding it level with his eyes he peered at them from the corner of his eyes, a smirk making it's way to his own lips. "You're right there are six."

"Maybe the saibamen can persuade them to tell us where the Dragonballs are, huh Nappa?" Vegeta commented gleefully, a confident grin on his face as he glanced from the container to those who stood before him.

Nappa bent down to test the soil between his right index finger and thumb, before he stuck his fingers into the ground at six different spots well apart from one another. "I think they can arrange that."

He then planted them, and poured the vacuous green liquid so necessary for saibamen creation.

"Huh? Ooookaaaay, what are they doing?" Krillin asked no one in particuliar.

"I think we're about to find out." Piccolo retorted evenly.

"There," Nappa declared with some satisfaction, tossing the empty jar aside once it had been emptied and the seeds planted.

The creatures that arose from what must have been the bowels of the earth, did so after almost two minutes of waiting. Growing to be the most hideous things that any of the Earthlings had ever set eyes on, in all their lives, including the Demon King's. Having seen his share of demons and monsters (some of his own creation in a prior life), he had never quite imagined that such hideous creatures could exist.

It had happened in the past that some were struck dumb, or keeled over dead from sheer fright, at the sight of the disgusting green-skinned Saibamen. Smirking maliciously they glowered and gazed upon the heroes with hungry expressions that left them all with a shiver and the certainty that these things, wished to do more than simply fight them.

The nature of the Saibamen was fairly self-evident, they fought, they destroyed. And they fed on their prey. With the lot of them not having a long life-span upon being planted, a couple of hours or days at the most depending on the batch, with savagery and cruelty along with blood all that tended to be left in their wake.

"Well, at least they're shorter than I am," Krillin joked nervously to Piccolo who frowned at his jest, unimpressed by it which earned him a sigh of irritation from the midget who couldn't help but shiver in disgust at these odd alien monstrosities.

Stupid, and dumb, they dashed forward, moving all around the Earthlings in a trio of rings only to break away from their encirclement in order to smash boulders and smaller hills to nothing. Unable to differentiate between unliving and living targets, to the stunned confusion and uncertainty of the heroes.

"They're brainless, crazy monsters." Krillin cried out in a shrill voice, from where he stood, his pose held firm despite his fear, his voice so loud it that made Piccolo's ears ring a little.

"They're strong too." Piccolo pointed out dryly as he took note of their movements, and of how all that lay before them soon crumbled to nothing. All without relaxing his pose at all, with a glower towards Gohan he soon brought his frightened pupil back to order, and back into his Turtle School pose.

"This should be a pretty good match-up, these saibamen seem spunky." Vegeta said rejoicing in the fear and nervousness of the enemy, with the Saibamen intelligent enough to know to assume a straight line before the Saiyans upon hearing his voice.

It was one of the only ones that they were programmed and trained to respond to, when they were free from their pea-forms. Smirking still, some were even drooling as they stared hungrily at the trio before them.

"I'll take the two on the left." Krillin volunteered after a few quick seconds of breathing in and out, and after seeing the monsters little outburst he felt better. They were strong, but dumb and nowhere near as strong as him, he could sense that much.

"I got the two in the middle." Piccolo retorted only to command his pupil, as he stepped into the leadership role that was so natural to one such as he, "The two on the right are yours, Gohan."

"Okay," Gohan assented determined to make his teacher proud, as he schooled his face into one of steely stubbornness even as a part of him continued to fear what was to come.

The dust billowed as the warriors on opposing sides stared each other down, with the Saibamen cackling below their breath and smirk, and the Earthlings glowering anxiously at the newborn monsters.

Sensing the fear beneath the surface, the boy's uncle let loose a slight sigh, more worried for the boy's sake than for his own, the naturally noble young man decided to take advantage of the quiet calm before the storm, in order to take him in hand.

"Gohan, pay attention," Krillin warned gravely to the child who stood on Piccolo's other side as he began to shake and squeak a little in fear. "Your thoughts are unfocused."

"Um, okay," Gohan murmured more resolutely than before.

"You don't have to be scared," Piccolo told him, as confidently as Krillin did before him, though with a small hint of concern for him, in his voice.

"Right."

With a growl, the Saibamen leaped into action, with Gohan's resolve melting away and Piccolo charging forward as he moved so swiftly that it looked as though he were standing still. Krillin followed his lead as he moved in to intercept several of the Saibamen and back the Demon King up.

Piccolo's elbow was intercepted seconds after he had grabbed the Saibaman's claw, as it tried to gouge out his eyes, stopping its pitiful attempt with ease. Krillin meanwhile had gripped both, of the repugnant monsters' claws with his own hands whilst safely avoiding the claws' edges. Before disappearing just as Piccolo did, in a flash as they fought the monsters off and shielded Gohan from the worst of the battle.

As flashes of light and electricity arced about from wherever the Saibamen and the warriors of Earth clashed, Gohan looked about frantically apparently terrified and unsure of what to do.

Vegeta and Nappa snickered a little, amused by his confusion and uncertainty as Callion stared at the child, still curious and unsure of why the Namekian had brought a child to the battle-field. Now no longer as certain that this was Kakarot's boy, she stroked her chin thoughtfully, as a Saiyan or part of one shouldn't he be looking forward to this, rather than fearing it?

_'He must be Kakarot's kid, so let's see his power-level again, just to make sure,' She_ thought to herself as she crossed her arms, the reading was the same as before. Fascinated, she could do nothing more than stare, he was powerful there was no denying that. With a restrained power-level, he was far stronger than any Saiyan child who had ever come before him, and yet he was different. _'He doesn't seem at ease yet, maybe once things heat up, and he's backed into a corner he'll bare his fangs against us. Still though, for him to be so strong, is not just puzzling. It is frightening.'_

Piccolo and Krillin came to a stand-still in the air, as the two Saibamen who were facing off against them, stared at them gleefully. Gohan gasped in fear, as frozen now as he was when the battle had first begun.

Suddenly one of the Saibamen branched off from the others, to appear behind the child. Ever so slowly, as he realized what was behind him, the child turned his head around to gaze over his shoulder in mortal terror of the monster that stood there.

_'Too bad for him,'_ Callion thought indifferently, certain of the whelp's death.

Instead though, Gohan's training kicked in and the claw that was meant for his face met with his elbow instead, as he was sent flying forward due to how he had been caught between trying to defend himself and flee.

The others moved to follow their brother's idea of targeting the youngest, and moving to the ground to do so, just as Piccolo landed in front of the child. His glare so ferocious it froze even the sociopathic Saibamen in their tracks.

"Gohan, believe in yourself," Piccolo ordered the boy firmly, in a voice that brooked no defiance and expected him to immediately do better.

"I-I'll try," Gohan replied still a little shaken from his little skirmish, with the one Saibaman who had backed off some distance away.

"Don't try, do it!" Piccolo snapped at him impatiently, already losing his temper with the anxious five-year old.

"R-right!" Goku's son said with more strength than before, though there was still an edge of uncertainty there.

"Aaawwww, isn't that cute," Nappa remarked mockingly, genuinely amused by the display of discipline between teacher and student.

"It warms my heart," Vegeta added following Nappa's lead in mocking the child, with a glee that not even the larger man could possibly summon up.

"What idiots," Callion grumbled darkly, at her comrade's expenses, she'd have liked to have seen them fight so young and stand so tall. In Vegeta's case he probably would have broke and fled before the action started, she had to suppress a snort of laughter at the mental image. _'This is such a waste of time, at least if I stayed over on Chill I could have gotten a worthwhile assignment.'_

"Don't pay them any attention, Gohan." Krillin reassured him, his tone the height of encouraging as he met the mocking sneers of the Saiyans with a confident smirk of his own. "They'll get what's coming to them, soon enough."

"KRILLIN!" Shouted a loud and young voice from the heavens, as Tien Shinhan and Chaotzu came in for a landing, the duo a sight for sore eyes. Amongst the most courageous men on Earth, they were far, far more skilled and talented than they were brave, which said a lot.

Chaotzu was dressed in a grey shirt, and green pants, trademarks of the old Crane School that the two had once belonged to, and since been banished from due to Tien's break with the old Crane Master and Tao Pei-pei. Now the two of them technically belonged to the Turtle School, practicing its philosophies and ways as closely as they applied the combat lessons of their first school.

A school everyone amongst their group had learnt over the years, with the school having the reputation of being the second finest school in the world after the Turtle one. Or so the general public believed, as many were unaware of the existence of the vastly superior Divine/Demon Schools that had originated all other schools of martial-arts on Earth.

Vegeta and Nappa bristled, tense and unimpressed by the interruption provided by the two late-comers, whereas Callion regarded them with little more than disinterest. Although her eyes then change a little, as they zeroed in on the shirtless Tien's chiseled, nude and scarred chest. With the one long scar that traveled from his left shoulder down towards the right, to his lower chest. This scar having been delivered to him by the cheating, mad Tao Pei-pei, at the last tournament.

As the Saiyan female observed his chest with open interest, Tien came in for a landing and Chaotzu came to a stop a few feet above the ground both their faces steely, and proud with an austere, and regal air about them.

"Hey, you guys!" Krillin greeted them happily, pleased to have more comrades in this struggle against all odds.

"Hi, Krillin," The ever friendly Chaotzu greeted back with open warmth, the two had come a long way since he had tried to kill the bald adopted son of Roshi. Since then, they had formed an open friendship, which had involved many a treats being dropped from Krillin's hands and into Chaotzu's hands.

"Thanks for dropping by," Was the joking retort from the bald midget, as the even shorter Chaotzu nodded his head in reply. "We could use the help."

"Oh boy," Nappa uttered as he glanced down, at Callion fearful of the outburst that was inevitable to come at that stupid pun, but he breathed a slight sigh of relief when he found her too distracted to have noticed Krillin's bad joke. "Phew, that was a close one."

"Huh? Say something Nappa?" She asked only now tearing her eyes, away from the scar that crossed from right below Tien's right shoulder down across his bicep to the left a hint of drool near the right corner of her mouth, just above the mole beneath her right lower lip.

"Nothing." He grunted rolling his eyes at her apparent lust, for the three-eyed human who had just to say arrived.

"Looks like the Saiyans' brought some of their friends along for the ride," Tien noted with an open glare with all three eyes at the aliens, and at their minions. Unaware of the female Saiyan's apparent lust, since though in possession of the finest eye-sight on Earth, he was however the most unobservant of the female gender's tics and tell-tale signs, even if they were obvious.

"Nah, they grew them here." Krillin replied his tone still light, as he followed his fellow cue-ball's eyes, in order to glower at their foes, by then the she-wolf had regained her composure and was studying the smaller of the two new arrivals, only to dismiss him and focus on Gohan once again.

"What?" This time it was Chaotzu who gasped loudly.

"Don't ask," Krillin retorted turning his body to face the enemy completely, as he dismissed the topic, clearly still disgusted by it.

"That's okay, doesn't really matter," Tien agreed his posture stiff, and his voice hard as he turned two of his eyes unto the child near Piccolo's knee. "Who's the kid? Is that Goku's little boy?"

"Uh-huh, his name is Gohan, Piccolo's been training him." Krillin confirmed not that she needed it, for she was all but celebrating the fact that she no longer had to fulfill the role of brood-mare for the Saiyan race (not that she had fulfilled it yet).

_'So, it is Kakarot's child! I knew it!'_ Callion thought exultantly, as she studied the child with even more fascination than she had Tien's chest, _'If we can breed with these people, we might have hit a jackpot, after-all.'_

Tien nodded, pleased. Or as pleased as such a hard and stoic man could ever show himself to be under present circumstances, while Gohan stared back for a few seconds, clearly interested in why, he had three eyes. Both of them, in time turned their gazes though to the Saiyans, as there was a more pressing matter to talk about rather than the last descendent of the three-eyed people.

"He's bold like his father," Tien observed, while Chaotzu smiled widely pleased to have a friend his height and maturity level in some ways (which was hard for a slow aging human like him).

"Enough of this garbage," Nappa growled out, his sharp voice made Chaotzu jump and his eyes bulge out in surprise and alarm, with the Saiyan addressing his minions in a low sadistic snarl as he smirked at the Earthlings. "Saibamen, I wanna hear them beg for mercy."

Several glares from the defenders of the planet answered his heated words, while Tien nodded to himself as he took up one of the signature postures of the Crane school, with his best friend taking up another. With his left hand raised above his head, palm down while his right hand was balled up in a fist just a bit above his waist fingers facing upwards.

_'This is it,'_ Tien thought to himself focused and honed, after a lifetime and three years of even more heated training, first to catch up to Goku, then to prepare for this invasion, he was ready to shove these freaks back into the holes they had crawled out of.

He and Chaotzu had been just as disgusted by the Saibamen as their friends had been earlier, however where Chaotzu had expressed himself with a grossed-out look. Tien showed nothing, just as the Namek had, with the human quick to forget his physical repulsion. He had fought against monsters and demons in the past, and hadn't let them frighten him or shake his resolve, and he wasn't about to start now.

Piccolo and Gohan took up different yet marked poses from two different schools, one of which involved the same one as earlier. With the former pulling his left arm towards his shoulder, feigning an injury while the other arm was pointed somewhat downwards and towards the enemy, claws pointed towards the ground. It was a classic move of his Demon School, one that involved trying to lure his enemies into thinking he was injured, in order to like a mantis, snap at them with both sets of claws and to tear the flesh from them.

_'Those poses, they're not like the Ginyu poses, they seem to serve a purpose, but what? Is it a posture of some sort, of a kind of combat 'style' or something?'_ Callion thought suddenly uneasy, and tense herself. Where Nappa was confident of victory, and Vegeta was too arrogant (or stupid in her view) to properly analyze what they were doing, she could see there was more here at work than mere poses. _'What possible purpose can they possibly serve?'_

She knew the traditional Saiyan and Chillian military grappling combat basics, like every space-pirate soldier under Frieza's command, but she was no fool to think there couldn't be more to combat than what Frieza had instructed his drill sergeants to teach them. The tyrant was a liar by nature, and one who preferred to keep more information and tricks to himself, than to share them with his underlings, even his favourites such as Ginyu, Zarbon and Vegeta.

"Wait for me!" Another voice, this one distinctly masculine and one that Krillin had known since a young age. It was Yamcha the former desert bandit and founder of the Wolf school of martial-arts, flying down towards them. He landed with his back to the enemy, in an arrogant gesture only to turn around, with a confident smirk on his face that matched the one on Nappa's, having with this one gesture knocked Vegeta's smirk into a frown. "What's up? Sorry, I'm late."

The Saibamen grunted at this newest intrusion, not that the scar-faced warrior paid them much mind. He acknowledged how hideous they were, however he would not let such a thing give him the willies or at all nervous. He had trained and prepared for this day for too long, besides no ugly little monster, was going to do him in, that was for sure.

_'Nice scars, this keeps getting better and better,'_ Callion thought to herself, if she could appreciate a good chest scar, facial ones were even better in her view, they reminded her of old Ban's face, from when she was really young, which was no bad thing. This man had some pretty great scars on his face too, after-all.

"H-hey Yamcha," Krillin said to him, welcoming him to the battle-field with as much warmth as he had Tien and Chaotzu.

_'Does this shrimp know everyone, on this dust ball?'_ Nappa asked himself mentally, wondering if there were gonna be any other stragglers or if the midget had invited a whole circus to this battle.

Gohan stared, with his mouth wide open at first at Krillin then at Yamcha, then back, then back to Yamcha again. He had heard a whole slew of stories about Yamcha, the man who had been all but a surrogate older brother and role-model in some ways, for his father and was therefore naturally curious about him.

Goku had spared no details, always telling of Yamcha's stories with a series of snorts of laughter, and a sense of warmth almost even admiration that had felt akin to a little brother telling stories about his older, sometimes bumbling but usually well-intentioned brother.

Tien greeted his old friend with a smirk, having been oddly amused, others could see by the flourish of the orange-clad warrior's entrance. Piccolo though glowered at him, unimpressed by the entrance he considered stupid and unnecessarily risky. Not that the heat behind his eyes, affected the tri-clops in the slightest, he returned the dark look. Aware that this was but a temporary truce, and once these thugs were dealt with, he was more than prepared to deal with the Demon King afterwards. He hadn't forgotten how his own last battle with the demon and his ilk, had turned out, even if it was a decade prior.

"So, why's everyone acting so serious around here?" Yamcha wondered a hint of humour in his voice, as he grinned at Tien with Chaotzu and Krillin snickering as he did so.

"Look Nappa, now it's six against six," Vegeta noted with a pleased voice and smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. All could see a bit of the envy behind his eyes, he obviously felt jealous of Yamcha's better looks, with this barely noted or cared for by most present.

"Congrats, you can count six numbers higher than I thought you could," Callion mumbled to herself, with a roll of her own eyes, as she earned herself a brief scowl from him.

"Their six warriors against our six Saibamen," Vegeta continued pretending not to have heard her, a heartbeat later, he would deal with her later he told himself silently, "How perfect, this may just prove to be interesting after all."

_'If you weren't sure, then why'd you drag us across the universe to this forsaken dust-ball?'_ Callion complained mentally, but she shushed her own thoughts; it was best not to try and understand the prince's mind, royalty tended to be fickle by nature and she didn't need to compound this dull day, with a headache.

"Hmm," Nappa chortled before he added, more to please and humour Vegeta than out of any sincere sentiment of amusement, "I can't wait."

"Gentlemen, how would you like to make a tournament of this and fight our warriors one by one? Well answer," Vegeta proposed only to get impatient near the end, demonstrating that were they to do this, he would very likely end it before it could be properly completed.

Piccolo obviously felt much more impatiently about the matter than the Saiyan prince, as he ground out, the veins in his head bulged out as he defied these would-be invaders over the principle of his own freedom of choice, waving one fist at them in barely repressed anger. He was not their puppet or toy to be played with. "We're not here to play games. And we're not going to fight on your terms, we'll take you all on at once!"

_'Is he an idiot?'_ Callion thought now a little amused, as she failed to repress a small smirk at his expense, her amusement was shared by Nappa as well as he shared such a look with her, over the Namekian's words.

"Hey," Krillin said to him, and his brandished fist with a placating set of hands and voice, as he added, "Now, easy. We're still waiting for Goku to show up, we can buy ourselves some time by playing it their way."

Krillin was a deft strategist, and a keen one who knew that the odds were against them. In a battle of wits and brawns, wits more often than naught tended to win however, today was different. Because when you piled the brawns on top of itself enough, you could overwhelm whatever brains the foe had, with pure muscle. He knew this from experience. Which was why, he wanted to turn this away from a battle of muscles to one of wills and brains, so as to pile on the brains in order to prolong this clash, until Goku showed up to help slay these monsters.

"I'll go first," Tien volunteered with a smirk, as he stepped forward away from the 'pack'. He then slammed his fists together in a gesture of determination, his eyes and words directed not at the Saibamen, but at the Saiyans' who stood behind the little green monsters. "I'm not afraid of these little creeps. It'll be a decent warm-up."

The oldest of the defenders of the planet, was also in possession of a mind as sound, as it was quick. He knew what prolonging this battle meant, and was just as interested in doing so, in order to ensure Goku made it in time. Better safe than sorry, had always been a motto of his in not just battle but in life. It was how he had made it so far, and how he was garnered such a fearsome reputation for himself as a martial-artist and warrior.

Nappa let loose a long chuckle of approval, as he nodded to himself obviously impressed and pleased by Tien's boldness. A glint entered his eye that had not been there for some time, _'Reminds me of Bardock.'_

_'Haven't seen Nappa like this in awhile, he rarely ever laughs like that these days,'_ Callion noted with a curious glance in his direction.

"That's the spirit," Nappa then added a few choice words that added a dark twist on his reaction, "Fresh meat on the grinder. But just wait, you won't be so cocky when you see what these 'little creeps' can do."

The Saibamen cackled and growled, as Nappa grinned back at the smirking human having caught on to the fact that his words were directed at them and not his pawns.

"Well, a lot of noise, but no volunteers," Tien shot back, still speaking more about the Saiyans than about the green monsters who growled back again just as Vegeta frowned down at them.

He turned to the left-most one, which was to his right, with his arms still crossed and his lips curving back up, "Alright you go, but don't hold anything back, got it?"

The Saibaman in question nodded his head, drooling and cackling as it did as bidden, stepping forward to menace the human, with a gluttonously greedy look in its eyes. Something that failed to intimidate or affect him on any level. This wasn't the first time either, that a monster had wanted to eat him.

"Hey, Tien be careful," Chaotzu called out, worried for his surrogate older brother hands cupped around his mouth.

Krillin in the meantime had heard something, in that he was the first to notice it, with Nappa being the second one, or so they thought, it was a buzzing sound he was well-acquainted with, as tv-choppers buzzed in towards the deserted area. The three choppers were busy recording everything, as one of the reporters called out to his pilot and to the other two choppers' pilots. In reality, the first to notice was Piccolo but he had paid it no mind, reporters meant nothing to him and if this ended up recorded who cared?

"Hey steer clear of that big bald one, over there, he's loaded." The one reporter warned to his pilot.

"Got it."

"We're just gonna ease in closer, so that we can get a good shot at the aliens," A second pilot shouted back, to the reporters.

"That's it, that's it, there they are," Chanted the reporter in the middle chopper, as the camera picked up on the Saiyans' and the six Saibamen then zoomed past them. "Back up a little."

The pilot did just that, with the camera focused back on the invaders. "Hey Mike, we got 'em!"

"Can you zoom in anymore?" Asked another reporter, this one in the front of the chopper rather than the back, to his camera-man.

Nappa chortled darkly, as he smirked hugely at the fluttering helicopters. "So you want some news do ya?" he then lifted two fingers from his left hand up at the heavens in the direction of the choppers, said fingers then glowed a bright vivid pale blue/semi whitish light as an orb slowly materialized above him then flew straight for the middle chopper. "Now you are the news."

The Earthlings gasped, with none louder than the frightened Gohan, even Piccolo stared at the wastefulness of this heinous gesture. Though a cruel man, he had always considered it wasteful to murder someone, out of hand without first giving him a chance to prove himself or to get away. There was no honour in this killing, in his eyes.

_'Honour means nothing, to these creeps,'_ He thought to himself as he studied them coldly, with knives darting out of his eyes at them, for what had just been done to the defenceless reporters.

"Good, no more distractions," Nappa ground out, as the Saibaman to the front shaken stared over his shoulder at his boss, evidently afraid of how powerful he was. Then he turned back to face the humans, with a joyous grin again, as Nappa spoke up, "Now what do ya say we get this fight, started?"

The Saibaman nodded twice with a slow 'gaga' sound, Tien on the other hand could have been made of stone for all they knew, given how cold and still he was.

Vegeta snorted to himself, in contempt of the enemy. Having about as much use, and respect for him, as he did all other lifeforms in the cosmos.

* * *

Back on Turtle Isle, Roshi, Bulma, Oolong and Puar were glued to the tv, as there was currently a press conference being held by the gloating tubby Yajirobe. One wherein he was indeed warning the reporters to steer clear of the battle, whilst also taking up all the credit and fifteen minutes of fame he could get (and greeting his mom wherever she was).

"Hey there," The deep booming voice of Ox-King greeted them from the entrance, as they all turned to face the gentle giant relieved by the distraction, though some were more pleased to see him than others.

"Ox-King," Most of them said in unison, startled by his appearance.

"Hey, there Ox," Roshi greeted back warmly, always pleased to see his surrogate second son and second pupil after Gohan, no small measure of relief in his voice as he added, as an afterthought when he remembered his granddaughter and how she would likely take the recent news, shown by the reporters in the field. "Goodness it's a good thing you didn't bring Chi-Chi with you. That was a good move."

Ox-King got an alarmed and panicked look on his face, as he realized then that his mentor hadn't wanted to see his beloved daughter, there was a hint of hurt there too. As he hated the notion of his idol, not liking his daughter and most precious gem (along with Goku and Gohan of course).

"Well uh," he stuttered weakly.

But Chi-Chi was not enraged or the slightest bit concerned by Roshi's callous words, as she entered the house with her trademark purple outfit and hands pressed together in a supplicating gesture, her praying hands pressed against his orange shirt. More concerned for her son and family, than she was over insults passed against her. "Please, please what's happened to Gohan? Where is he?!"

Everyone lowered their gazes in shame. Full of guilt over how Gohan had been left in the clutches of Piccolo and had from what they had discerned a few minutes earlier from watching the tv, been dragged to ground zero of the battle.

_'It should be me out there,'_ Roshi thought as he bit his lower lip hard, gaze on the ground and heart full of grief for poor Chi-Chi and Ox-King. For all his callousness towards her, he had to admit to a certain fondness for the girl who was for all intents and purposes his granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law, via her marriage to his other grand-child Goku.

It broke his heart for Ox-King and Gohan as well, oh how Mutaito would be ashamed and was likely already turning over in his grave to see his pupil forced to sit back, as his great-grandchild fought his battle for him and for his grandfather.

"Master Roshi," Chi-Chi tried again, pressing her fists to his chest as she pleaded with him again, "You have to tell me, I can handle it! PLEASE!"

Roshi closed his eyes behind his shades, fighting back tears of his own so moved and guilt-ridden was he, he met her gaze as his eyebrows rose a little, he answered her bluntly yet with a soft voice he hoped would mitigate the ill-news, "He's on the battlefield with Piccolo."

Chi-Chi stared at him in shock, her broken heart in her eyes. It appeared as though, she were about to rage or perhaps continue pleading, but instead the most unexpected thing happened: She passed out, falling back, to the horror of her father and his mentor.

"Chi-Chi!" Ox-King cried out, his heart in his throat, a heart-beat faster than the older man.

* * *

The Saibaman scowled and growled at Tien, hoping to intimidate him. It was a futile gesture, as Tien continued to silently stare it down. It then circled around him, but his three eyes followed it.

Gohan swallowed as he stared the two down. Before he or anyone expected it to, or so it seemed the Saibaman exploded into movement, with Tien matching and outdoing its battle-cry with one of his own.

It suddenly back-flipped backwards, after rushing forward a little, trying to put some distance it seemed, between the human and it. Tien answered by raising his right hand with his fingers out, at it. But this was a feint, as the monster had planned to lay a little ambush using some of its small amount of cunning to do so, as it then charged forward using the momentum of a back-flip then digging its clawed feet into the ground to spring it forward like a bungee cord.

The Saibaman's skull split open to reveal nothing inside it, save for some acid that spewed forth straight for the three-eyed human. He easily moved aside, as the rest of the Earth's defenders dashed out of the way in unison, all save for Gohan. He remained frozen, stiff with his hands raised up as though to defend himself.

Piccolo doubled-back to rescue him at the last minute, as a small hole was left in the ground, where the acid had hit. With Chaotzu and Krillin staring at the hole in shock and horror. Their thoughts evidently on the notion of,_ 'what would have happened had that hit us?'_

Gohan was equally horrified as he gaped, and said his shirt held in his mentor's hand, "Wow thanks."

Piccolo didn't so much as react to his gratitude.

The Saibaman only had time to close its skull, before Tien appeared behind it with his right-hand reared back to strike it. It reacted instinctively by taking to the air, but the severe student of the Crane school followed it. As he provided his own feint; rather than strike it with his palm, he elbowed it in the gut with all his might as he drew its saliva from it.

"What? Impossible," Nappa gasped, unable to believe just how thoroughly his Saibaman had been humiliated by the human, who had dispensed with it, with more ease than Frieza did planet Vegeta.

Krillin laughed victoriously as the Saibaman hit the dirt, with Chaotzu quick to cheer his hero on, "Yeah!"

"Way to go Tien! Great move!"

Gohan chuckled, as the feeling of joy and victory spread event to him, "Alright!"

"You're the best Tien!" Chaotzu cheered, whilst Vegeta glowered at the human jealous of the attention being paid to him.

Tien let out a huge breath, he hadn't realized he had been holding, as he then turned to face Vegeta, his eyes meeting and piercing through him, with his one word for the compliment directed to his best friend, "Thanks."

"Looks like you got a hold of a weak batch, Nappa," Vegeta snarled incisively, cutting down Nappa for his own mistake, while the larger man stared stunned at the Saibaman who laid in the dirt, defeated.

"Hey, you're the one who chose it out for him on Chill," Callion shot back, earning for herself a glower that she ignored.

"No! They're all good," Nappa denied, "These ones are all ones who survived that crazy battle on Traadeck. He should have won, his power-level is 1,200. All of these Saibamen, have the same fighting power as-as-"

"As who?" Vegeta asked with a grin, enjoying the moment as Nappa shook a little, full of guilt at having displeased his prince.

"As, Radditz." Nappa confessed weakly in a quiet, guilty voice that could barely be heard above the wind.

"Nooow, do you see my point?" Vegeta asked gleeful and self-satisfied, taking pleasure in grounding down his surrogate father's self-respect into the ground.

"That you only just realized that these guys, are stronger than Radditz?" Callion enquired sarcastically, annoyed by his need to chop down Nappa for his own mistakes, and screw-ups.

"Well, I think so," Nappa said unsure, who knew what Vegeta was thinking, sometimes his mind jumped to certain conclusions and ideas that Nappa never would have guessed at, sometimes this was good he supposed, more often it was bad. As it usually signaled he was about to do something either crazy, or violent towards ally and/or enemy alike. Or both.

Vegeta laughed quietly, "Well do you? Don't strain yourself, just leave the thinking to myself from now on."

Nappa shot a look to Callion that said, _'I know, he's being pompous but shut up and indulge him.' _With the female biting her lip hard, as she rolled her eyes at this by now habitual scuffle.

_'I swear, since Vegeta first shared that hot-bath four years ago with Nappa, he's been even more obsessed with proving he's bigger where it counts than him, despite all evidence to the contrary.'_ Callion grumbled mentally, and she had been forced to bite her tongue more often over the course of those four years, than ever before. As Nappa hated having to mediate between her and the prince, and she hated having to be beaten bloody. Still, it was worth it every time she got Vegeta to get strep-throat, she supposed.

The Saibaman struggled to rise, as Chaotzu pointed at it with wide eyes, "Tien! That one's getting back up!"

With the three-eyed warrior having a sense of deja-vu and bad recollections of the World's Martial Arts' Tournament hurriedly turning his head to glance over his shoulder at the miniature monster behind him. He had learnt much though, since his clash with the Crane Master's younger brother, with his reflexes and instincts having been vastly honed, and thus they served him well by saving him.

But Vegeta was faster on the draw than Tien, or the Saibaman or anyone else expected, as he blew with two small but potently powerful fingers, the little monster/pet apart from the inside out.

"Vegeta, why?!" Nappa bellowed furiously, outraged that Vegeta had just felled one of their own, even Callion looked stunned, almost as much as the Earth's defenders and Nappa appeared to be.

"He wasn't of any use to us anymore," Vegeta replied darkly, as Gohan squeaked and shook more than Krillin, and even more than the frightened Chaotzu.

_'Do those words extend to us too?'_ Callion wondered to herself, as she felt uncertainty grip her gut for a moment, only to shake it off, of course it couldn't mean them, right? _'He needs me as a brood-mare, and Nappa's practically his father having raised him since he was born and cared for him, more than his own father ever did.'_

"I know, but he was alive," Nappa retorted still stunned, his voice no longer angry as he stared at the remains of the Saibaman and Vegeta in horror. _'Why? He was one of us as surely, as much as you or I, we owed him more than that.'_

"Hmph." Vegeta grunted as he lowered his left arm, no sign of regret or anything other than smug pride and darkness on his face or in his eyes.

The corpse of the fallen Saibaman evaporated into nothingness, as Yamcha and the others glared at the Saiyan prince, in purely indignant moral outrage. How could he, slaughter one of his own lackeys? Even King Piccolo had never been so cruel or evil, as he had at least loved the monsters and minions he spewed forth from his vile mouth. Grieving for them, and seeking to avenge them whenever Goku would slay them.

"I-I don't understand," the oldest Saiyan alive gasped as he stood straighter, looking a little scared of his surrogate son.

"It would have been pointless to let him continue Nappa," Vegeta snapped as he re-crossed his arms, "He was losing. Which leads me to believe he wasn't trying his hardest." He moved a hate-filled glare to the other Saibamen who quaked and gaped at him in utter terror. Aware that the fate of their fallen brother, could well be theirs also. "I specifically told him not to hold anything back."

"Woah, talk about ruthless," Krillin commented still shocked by the reaction of the prince, his horrified reaction one that was shared by all of his fellow defenders of the planet.

_'No mercy, even for his allies he won't be taking prisoners, if it wasn't clear before, it is now; we're fighting for our very lives,'_ Piccolo thought tartly as he analyzed Vegeta's move, his posture and his actions. He had already gleaned a great deal, should things take too long he was liable to slaughter his own and then move on to try to do the same to his enemies. The Demon King couldn't quite figure out whether the Saiyan, was trying to shorten or lengthen this battle or if he truly lacked patience, he didn't lack for sadism that was for sure.

Meanwhile over on one of the nearby hills, one of the braver set of reporters had managed to climb up a rather big mountain, in order to get a downward view of the ongoing battle. They were the bravest set, from those who had survived Nappa's attack, and were gazing in horror at the battle going on down below them.

"This is just crazy," The cameraman remarked in shock, as he gaped at the explosive battle taking place before him, for the fate of the Earth. Having apparently been living under a rock, or two back when Piccolo and King Piccolo threatened the stability of the planet. "I've never seen anything like it!"

Further back, behind them at the base of the mountain, hidden and secretive the various reporters who had previously been in the helicopter had now set up 'shop' so to speak, with all of their vans, equipment and men and women to begin recording and broadcasting this amazing sight throughout the earth and her nations.

"Remote One, report to Control."

"Wow," Gasped one of the guys in the van, as he stared at the static filled blurry tv screens in front of him, it was one of more than two dozen stationed there, all as ineffective as the last. "There's enough energy out there to light up a whole city!"

"Mike we're having trouble holding a signal here," Jim informed Mike his voice even more troubled, as it shook. Damn, this was why he quit working for the Martial Arts Tournament Committee all those years ago, after that mess with Piccolo, and here was that same Demon King fighting alongside those who seemed to have helped beat him. What was going on out there?

"Yeah, I copy that, just do the best you can," The more experienced Mike who had worked at that same job, for almost twice as long, and was now a news reporter for international news.

The Earth shook and the heavens quaked. The entirety of the area was filled with electro-magnetic waves and static electricity that came from each of the fighters. Though unaware of where the electricity and interference came from, the reporters couldn't quite figure out how or why this was the case.

None of them realized though, that the static and electro-magnetic disturbances in the area were but the calm before the storm. A storm that they were all to flee from, the moment that it struck the area with a ruthlessness that could have frightened the most stolid and courageous of men.

"So who's up next?" Vegeta asked cockily, with a smirk on his lips.

"That's it, if no one steps up next we'll have a free-for-all!" Nappa snapped furiously, still troubled by the loss of that one Saibaman, and eager to protect the others.

"That's fine with me, let's do it," Piccolo said, speaking up for the first time in awhile, as he surprised and alarmed his comrades who were in no mood to rush this battle. They needed to wait for Goku, not rush into a battle they couldn't win or that would speed up the process of the battle with the Saiyans.

_'Who would be stupid enough to fight them all at once?' _Tien thought to himself, as he studied the three Saiyans, his thoughts were not on the pitiful Saibamen whom were quite far beneath them in martial arts' skills and ability, but on their masters. _'That short one, he blasted his own without a second thought. How could he do that? He's no better than the old Crane Master, who trained Chaotzu and I! No honour in his soul or any goodness for that matter.'_

"No, I'll go next," Krillin volunteered stubbornly, without so much as a glance at the others he took a few steps forward, as he knew that the best possible thing to do, was to continue to buy time therefore they needed to extend these 'matches' and play these foolish Saiyans' games._ 'Surely, with both Piccolo and Goku on our side, we can somehow wrench victory from these tailed-freaks' greedy grasps.'_

But he didn't make it very far before Yamcha intervened, for he had a sudden bad feeling. A wave of nausea had struck him, with it having nothing to do with the enemy, or their brutal masters, but everything to do with the thought of his friend fighting the Saibamen. He knew in a sudden flash that, Krillin wouldn't make it or would be made to utilize too much energy, not because he was weak, but because he was too strong.

Krillin had surpassed him, he knew this. He could see it with a single glance of his eyes, just as he also knew that Piccolo was still stronger than he. With that said, another glance towards the enemy revealed that they were unlikely to be willing, to let the cue-ball go. He suspected that should Krillin fight, then the Saiyans would end him. Though they were content to play games, they had no interest to let one of the Earthlings do away with each of the Saibamen single-handedly.

As it was, Tien already seems to have gotten the one called Nappa's attention, which couldn't be good. This worried Yamcha, and to prevent this from happening to his other friend, he would fight himself, he decided. Better to put himself on the chopping block so to speak, than to let Krillin impulsively do so. Especially, since the shorter man didn't even realize just how much heat and interest Tien had gotten, by taking down one of their alien slaves with so much ease.

"Hold on Krillin," Yamcha said, his interruption even more sudden than that of Piccolo's.

_'We need to also conserve our strength,'_ the former king of bandits thought to himself, as he had also been avidly studying these Saiyans, over the past few minutes. _'Krillin is stronger than Tien and I at the moment. We need him, to save his strength in preparation for the battle with these alien monsters, not waste it on their stupid games. Chaotzu and I should take care of the rest.'_

The notion of himself as one of the weaker members of the Z-Senshi, was not something Yamcha was entirely unaccustomed to, as he was on par with Tien, he could feel it. Since he was young he always did have a good nose for sniffing out trouble, and threats and their scope. It was how he had excelled, invented his own style from nothing and survived in the desert for so long.

Which was why, he could intuitively feel that Tien or Krillin going next would be a big mistake, he could also feel that Chaotzu needed more encouragement. If the little guy went next, after him then they'd have this done. They also needed to keep the Saiyans' talking, anything to buy time.

_'Tien's a little cocky from his victory, and Chaotzu is still a little shaken from Vegeta's move, Gohan's scared and Krillin might extend things too much by putting himself at risk, and Piccolo… good luck reading him.'_ Yamcha thought to himself, more than a little put off by the Demon King whom he couldn't believe they were actively fighting alongside, but alas as Puar would put it; 'c'est la vie'.

"What's up?" Krillin asked caught off-guard by his friend halting him in his tracks.

"Let me go next, would ya? I'm really anxious to show these guys, what we're all about down here on this planet," Yamcha told him, glancing at his bald friend out of the corner of his eyes, his tone deliberately cocky if a bit dark anything to seem slow and throw up a cloak of lies and deception to hide his true motives and thoughts from the enemy.

_'He's not stupid,'_ Nappa guessed, he knew it, this guy was wandering in with more intuition and plans than they could afford to underestimate. _'Hope the Saibamen are ready, this one could be as problematic as that tri-clops over there proved himself to be.'_

"That's great but I've got this one, okay?" Krillin asked densely, not realizing that his best-friend's surrogate older brother was merely trying to protect him from the inevitable battle.

"You've already been wished back with the Dragonballs once," Yamcha explained loudly, speaking over his friend, "I haven't, so if anything happens at least we know that I can be revived. Sit this one out for me Krillin. You'll get your chance, don't you worry about that."

There was no way, these Saiyan brutes wouldn't push them into a corner, he knew that much if he knew anything after living on this planet for twenty-six years.

_'Revived once? Does that mean that these mystical Dragonballs, have limits to their powers?'_ Callion thought unable to help but overhear the humans, as they weren't exactly whispering. _'If we die, they only work the one time? So there are rules? Can the same wish, not be made twice? Or is it that it can be, but depends on the wording? What's going on? So many freaking questions, and no damn answers. Why did we ever let that imbecile Vegeta start this fight, without first asking some damn questions from these weaklings?'_

Whatever, it wasn't her problem, if Vegeta wanted to slaughter all those who knew of these Dragonballs on this planet, let him. It made no difference to her, it wasn't as though she wanted anything all that badly, except maybe better clothes or something. _'Maybe I could wish for a mute button for Vegeta…'_

"Huh? 'Kay," Krillin mumbled visibly put off, by the reminder that he had already been revived, even Nappa seemed a little curious about these newfound rules for the balls. "He's all yours."

_'Rules eh? Well, we'll get them to talk, whether they like it or not,'_ the giant warrior told himself, certain of victory. The only concern for him were the Saibamen, if they didn't last long enough for Vegeta's taste, then they were all as good as dead._ 'Poor guy, deserved a better death than that. Maybe I should talk to Vegeta, later about being fair to our own goons, I'm sure he'll come around after I talk to him.'_

Still he couldn't resist a chuckle at the expense of the Earthlings, as he batted off the thought of the Dragonballs' rules for the moment, now was time for fun and keeping his Saibamen alive not for myths and legends, and thoughts of after the battle.

"How touching, I'm all warm and tingly." The sarcasm in his voice evaporated immediately, when he turned his eyes onto one of his men, "Heh, now go kill him."

"Geehhh," Uttered the chosen Saibaman who advanced claws first, towards the human with a look of pure sadistic evil on it's face.

Yamcha reared back his elbows to behind him, with his fists forward and his posture stiff yet ready for immediate action, "Alright then, c'mon let's get this thing over with."

"Huh, this one seems eager," Vegeta commented with a smirk, amused by Yamcha's confidence and purposefulness, failing to see what he was doing.

"Yeah right, eager to die that is," Nappa retorted with even more confidence, as he smirked also a crooked grin that was entirely identical to the prince's, and one that the young prince had not gotten from either of his parents but from a lifetime spent with the former admiral of the Saiyan armada.

_'He's trying to keep the midget from fighting, obviously this is part of a larger plan, to delay and destroy us.'_ Callion thought as she finally spoke up this time to the newly advanced Saibaman, "Keep your guard up, this one's a schemer."

Nappa glanced at her in surprise at her encouragement, but quickly covered it up. He always thought she didn't like Saibamen, but he supposed she was worried over this Earth man, it was then he picked up on what had just happened, _'Trying to keep the cue-ball from fighting, huh? Interesting, maybe we should take him out first, if need be.'_

* * *

"It seems like one of the little green men, is about to take on another member of the 'special forces team'," Announced the announcer, as he called the team by the name Mr. Yajirobe had dubbed them, "So Mr. Yajirobe, will be available for comment."

Seated in front of the unconscious Chi-Chi waved a paper-fan, as she glanced over her shoulder every once in awhile to stare at the tv-screen, with Ox-King having just placed a wet-towel on his precious daughter's forehead, before he took a seat to her other side.

Roshi, Puar and Oolong in the meant remained glue to the tv, in grim terror and uncertainty of what was about to happen.

"Oh, brother," Oolong grumbled sarcastically, infuriated and outraged by the tubby man claiming credit for the heroics of his comrades, after chickening out on the battle itself. Even Oolong had his limits, though cowardly he was by no means a fighter, and yet even he felt that claiming the glory was wrong. _'Oh Goku, if only you were here little guy, man I miss him.'_

"Eww look at how ugly those things are!" Bulma cried out in disgust as the camera zoomed in on the face of one of the Saibamen.

"Ugh, yeah no kidding," The motherly Puar agreed in her squeaky voice, as disgusted by the monsters as the green haired girl was.

"Uh-huh," Oolong agreed also.

"It looks like the 'Special Forces' are ready for action," The reporter remarked still under the impression this was a semi-military operation, alongside the heroes from the King Piccolo and Piccolo Jr. incidents.

"Yamcha!" Bulma said happily, pleased to see her childhood beau on the screen, his handsome face further complimented by his long tresses and large confident smirk. _'He's so dreamy, man he'll show those creeps, what's what!'_

"Isn't he great? I've never seen him looking so confident," Puar added as smitten with him as Bulma was though in a different manner, as she beamed at Roshi proud of her baby and how far he'd come since he was but a baby she had discovered abandoned in the desert.

"It's not just appearance, he's reached a new level," Roshi admitted impressed by his old pupil, gone were the days of waving a sword about blindly or hitting people up for their goods as a bandit, the boy had become a man._ 'He's also reached a new level spiritually and emotionally, oh Mutaito, how you'd weep in pride at my students even if you'd banish me out of shame for my cowardice and pathetic weakness.'_

Puar let out a sigh, not noticing the grimness of Roshi's thoughts though if she could read his mind half as well as she could with Yamcha, she'd assure him that Mutaito would be the proudest master ever if he could see Roshi, in this moment as Puar and Oolong saw him; proud, wise and kind at his core.

"'Scuse me!" Bulma interrupted as she shoved both Roshi and the talking, transformable animals aside, with a huge grin on her full-lips, as she wanted a good view of her man taking on alien scum, let Ox-King worry about his irrational, impulsive daughter for a bit.

"Hey Bulma, something caught your eye?" Oolong teased, a little miffed at being shoved around, and yet also amused by the genius girl's evident passion for her childhood sweetheart.

Bulma turned a bright red as she leant back, not noticing the growing lecherous grin on the distracted Turtle Hermit's face as he went into full 'perv mode' as Krillin tended to call it, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Puar who was seated on Oolong's head reared up with her arms waving, as she grinned just as fondly at the girl as her rival and friend did, "Oh, don't be coy Bulma! I think it's wonderful that you're still in love with Yamcha."

Bulma's hands pressed themselves to her cheeks in embarrassment, as she turned even redder not noticing the arms of the old geezer behind her, or the hungry grin on his now disgusting face. But then Dr. Brief's brilliant daughter turned around a little, her elbow whipping around and hitting Roshi in the jugular by accident, "I guess it's pretty obvious."

"Agh!" Roshi cried out as he hugged his throat in pain, having not foreseen her accident coming. "What was that for?"

"Hey, look its Piccolo!" Oolong pointed out in shock, as he pointed with his right index finger at the screen, where Piccolo could be seen standing side-by-side with the others defending the Earth. As the camera moved slowly past him, towards the child by his side, Oolong took note with a loud and audible gulp of Demon King's glowering expression, "Boy he doesn't look too happy, does he?"

"Oh, wow Ox look who it is!" Roshi yelped distracted from his pain, for a moment as he called over to his surrogate son and friend, over his shoulder.

"Huh? Gohan's huge!" Ox-King gasped, noticing how much the boy had grown since almost eleven months ago, where had the time gone? And how did the now constitutional monarch ever survive without his son-in-law and grandson? He must have missed so many of Gohan's first and moments, it brought a tear to his eye to imagine what hardship the brave, gentle little boy must have gone through.

Chi-Chi chose this exact moment to come back to consciousness, only to hear her father and grandfather-in-law's words, as she reared up and all but leapt forward towards the tv in a blind panic, pushing past both Roshi and Bulma far more gently than what Bulma had previously done. Which was perfectly typical of the feminine yet gentle daughter of the famous Ox-King.

"Where's my Gohan?" She asked as she then gasped, at the sight of her son standing tall and brave in the face of all odds, "Oh my goodness!" Her voice now shook with emotion, as she asked thickly, "What happened to him?"

"Nothing," Ox-King answered as he discerned one notable fact about the boy, "He's just bigger and stronger that's all."

Chi-Chi shook and trembled, her hands pressed against her knees as she leant forward eyes watering in both pride and grief at the lost time spent with her one and only baby, "Oh, Gohan, you've been growing up without me…"

It was a horrible moment for her, one in which she felt helpless and small, and weak as what kind of mother was she if she couldn't even protect or be there for her son at all times? Oh, what would Goku think when he found out how she had failed him and his son? It was more than she could bear.

"He looks like Goku, when he was a boy!" Bulma commented stunned and hoping to help her friend, not realizing that she was only making matters worse, for the poor young housewife/famous Martial Artist.

Chi-Chi pulled back with a loud gasp at the ugliness of the Saibamen that glared and smirked at her through the tv, "Don't tell me that, my little boy's going to have to fight those monsters?"

It was too much for her, as she proceeded to pass out from the shock as her emotions went into overload. _'I should be out there, protecting him,'_ she told herself before she fell into darkness, where she could all but feel Goku's gentle and comforting words awaiting her.

Thankfully Bulma was quick enough to catch the poor love of Goku's life, as Roshi worried over her.

"If only Goku were here!" He said loudly, unsure himself if he meant here as in Kame House or over at the battlefield.

On the one hand, if he were at Kame House he'd know how to calm and soothe Chi-Chi's worries, and even get her to smile as he always did so easily. But if he was over at the battlefield, he'd be there to protect Gohan against all threats, and would die before someone or anyone ever laid hands on the boy he loved so much.

* * *

Yamcha and the Saibaman blurred out of view.

"They-they vanished!" Gohan murmured breathlessly, once again shocked by this strange ability of his friends to disappear from view, and then reappear in a fight as though it were nothing.

"Nonsense! They're just moving very fast, try to feel out their energies." Piccolo growled down at him, furious with him.

_'Poor kid, this year must have been hell for him,'_ Krillin thought with a side-ways glance at the kid out of the corner of his eyes, if he ever talked about it outside of counselling he would bet that it'd make quite the story.

"Feel out their energies?" Gohan asked dumbly, confused and not fully understanding his mentor.

Krillin and Chaotzu followed Yamcha and his malevolent foe's energies, even doing so, so easily that they could all but do it with their eyes.

"Everyone's watching them right now, except for you Gohan," Piccolo explained slightly more gently, apparently regretting his earlier, harsher tone.

"What?" Gohan asked feeling stupid though he was actually quite the brilliant child like his father (though he didn't realize this quite yet), "You can see them?" He narrowed his eyes and frowned determined to make his teacher proud, as he added, "Hmm-kay."

"Don't focus on a specific point, let your eyes take in your entire surroundings." The Demon King instructed patiently, his eyes focused on his star-pupil who followed his instructions with the same genius and same vigour he did with all lessons he taught him. "Remember you're not trying to see their bodies but the light that the energy in their bodies gives off."

The sounds of the battle made their way to Gohan's focused and trained ears, with the boy reporting this news to the tallest of those gathered, "I can hear them Piccolo."

"Good," Piccolo approved, "Now stay relaxed, continue to look. Don't blink your eyes."

"Woah!"

"Now you see," the green-bean stated matter-of-factly, eyes trained on the infant, as Yamcha clashed with the monster and moved in to strike at it as it tried to strike him.

Gohan then did something that no one had ever done before, something so impressive that it increased Piccolo (and the entirety of the Z-Senshi's) respect for the boy-or perhaps awe would be the better term for it? As Gohan then, learnt to sense ki/power-levels in under two minutes. Something that had taken weeks, almost a month for some, was learnt faster than almost thought by the five-year old boy. This was not simply due to Goku's son's incredible genetics as some might believe, but really due to his high-IQ inherited from a highly intelligent mother and genius father.

Gohan followed all of this with his eyes, though he didn't notice until later how easy it had been for him to do so. Yamcha in the meantime moved in for the kill, taking the lead in the battle as he used a flurry of punches and well-coordinated blows with his arms to distract the enemy, in a signature gesture that was fairly common for the legendary Wolf School, as he then followed this up with a quick drop to the ground as he kicked out the Saibaman's legs out from under him.

His long hair billowed over his shoulder, as he grinned wildly looking every inch the ferocious bandit of yesteryear, as the alien rose up, he kicked out with one leg it easily ducked underneath but this was a feint for a second more powerful kick, from his other leg. It volted backwards as it back-flipped several times before planting its feet and the core of its being and mind firmly into the ground below it.

Yamcha appeared behind it, his fist dashing forward only to be caught by the monster as it spun him around for a second then threw him away from it, eager to place some distance between them so as to catch its breath. The bandit cried out in surprise, as he looked ridiculous for a second there before he caught himself in the air.

Using the momentum of flight and gravity he dashed at full speed to the Saibaman with a kick that, it saw coming and evaded out of the way of, with the alien taking flight away from him again, he flew on after it.

"Oh, no you don't!"

But all it needed was half a second, he realized too late, as it jumped back towards the young hero. But this was part of Yamcha's plan as he disappeared, using the after-image technique he had picked up over the years of adventuring alongside Goku and Tien.

The Saibaman had a look of utter dumb confusion written onto its ugly pasty face, as he fell to the ground.

"Haaaaa!" Yamcha cried out as he summoned up his energy into physical shape, the blue light of the Kamehameha wave that was such a great signature of the Turtle School of Martial Arts.

"Alright!"

"YAY!"

Chaotzu and Krillin cheered, quick to give a thumbs up and proud grins at their friend's victory.

"Wow, great," Gohan said amazed by this sight, which struck instant awe into him as he at last saw in his uncle Yamcha what Goku at around seven saw in the man. An indomitable titan and superhero of a sorts, or so he would always remain to the Son family.

* * *

At Kame house everyone cheered and cackled at this great display of power and skill, just as they would have had they seen Tien's battle with his formidable foe.

"YEAH!"

"HE DID IT!" Bulma yelled out, with just as much enthusiasm as Oolong, Roshi and Puar.

* * *

Back to ground-zero, the Saiyans stared with open shock having not suspected such an outcome would come so easily to the human. Sure, the humans couldn't possibly fight them, but it was still stunning to see them take on the Saibamen so effortlessly, and not just once but twice.

_'He fights like he's half-savage,'_ Callion thought as stunned and wide-eyed as her two compatriots who were busy thinking the same thing.

While the long-haired human came down for a landing before the small crater he had created with his blast at the remains of the Saibaman, Nappa uttered, "That's two!"

The third of Roshi's modern students turned around, with a cocky grin to match the one Vegeta had previously worn and been wiped off, "Weelll, that was easy. Looks like we're in a different league from your little green goon-squad."

"You cocky li-" Nappa started angrily.

"Relax." Vegeta told him, still wide-eyed they did still have four left of their original batch of six, and they had gotten this guy to use up some energy after all. And he could tell that the savaged Saibaman who had lost entire body parts, was still kicking, he was twitching, and his claws had begun to clench into fists.

"Now then, what do you say I just take on the other four myself?" He asked with that same irrepressible grin on his lips. He had done it, he had won, and he could feel the sweet exhileration of his moment of triumph, still running in his veins.

But even as it did so, he never lost sight of the larger picture; he had to keep Tien, Piccolo and Krillin from fighting for as long as possible.

"Yamcha are you nuts?" Krillin cried out, alarmed and convinced that his friend had lost his mind.

"Hahahahaha! Now that I'd like to see, too bad I won't get the chance," Vegeta murmured in reply amused by the human's confidence.

"Oh yeah? Bring 'em on!" Was the rejoinder as Yamcha's blood level spiked, and as he tried to keep the Saiyans' talking. The more time they took up, the better after-all. Not to mention, better he wastes his energy than Krillin or Piccolo.

Behind him, the others stared in shock and boggled at him, save for Piccolo who was indifferent, he'd rather get to it but if Yamcha wanted to play these games and take all the time in the world, let him. It made no difference, because for all his schemes, they'd have to fight the Saiyans eventually.

But Yamcha had miscalculated. His Saibaman was still alive, and had been merely knocked unconscious. As it was, it truly was dying given the severity of its injuries to Yamcha's moves therefore when it leaped up on its one surviving leg, relying on life energy to keep it moving it attempted to latch onto him with its two surviving arms and one leg, just as the human turned with wide-frightened eyes to face what seemed to be his certain doom.

Yamcha's life flashed before his eyes, as he remembered how he had always had Puar for a mother, then how he'd met Goku when he was just eleven years old, and from there the wild adventures they'd had. His time under Roshi's tutelage, his life-long passion with Bulma, the tournaments he'd fought in and lost in, how he'd vowed after Krillin died and Goku had to fight King Piccolo that he'd never stand aside in another fight. He'd fight his own battles, and that he wouldn't be useless next time, he'd stand there tall, fighting by Goku's side to defend what he loved, just as his surrogate little brother had taught him to.

_'It can't end here!'_ He thought with a start, as he had been ready to die but so soon? When he had yet to prove himself to even himself, he hadn't even scratched the Saiyans yet, hadn't helped anyone. To die so soon would be disgraceful! His arms bulged as he strained his muscles in order to break free, sure the Saibaman's arms and legs were locked around his upper body and arms. But it was soon almost moot, as its straining grip struggling to keep ahold of the much stronger warrior started to crack a little.

The Saibaman's grip was loosening, sure its self-destruct attack was four times its original power-level, but this didn't mean that its grip or natural strength was. Thus, Yamcha had just started to break-free, with it barely being two seconds before his fists were pressed against his hips a little and his arms had formed semi-circles with the Saibaman on the verge of letting go even as it was about to detonate. Still its arms and legs were no longer gripping one another, and Yamcha had a split-second to get away, he would live through this, he was sure of it. Of course, he didn't actually think this, as he was beyond thought and in the realm of instinct.

"Aaahh!" He was about to scream from the fright and the heat of the moment, when a blast came out under his armpit, between his arm and his main body, and blasted the Saibaman to shreds.

Just as with the first, silence followed the death of this Saibaman. This time though it wasn't Vegeta who'd destroyed his own pawn, with two of his fingers but the Saiyan female who'd blasted the offending monster to pieces.

"What? Why'd you do that?!" Nappa demanded exasperated by his comrade, _'At this rate we're going to lose all of our Saibamen to our own people.'_

"Callion, I believe I didn't give you orders to destroy that Saibaman," Vegeta growled at her, as he glared at her she shrugged in reply.

"He wasn't trying hard enough that's all, given how the human had already broken free, which is why, as you said earlier if they won't fight hard enough then we may as well destroy them ourselves. And speaking of which," She said with a scowl to the other Saibamen, saving that human wasn't her intention she was just weary of letting these beasts do their fighting for her. And if these Earthlings wanted to buy time, then she'd put an end to that, and give them a real fight herself if need be. "Enough of this."

"I suppose that's true," Vegeta conceded as he realized that she had just used his argument, and he couldn't possibly be wrong, and even though he still considered her in the wrong, he would tolerate it this one time if it meant the death of that wannabe over there. "Bah, you could only do that though because it was weakened. Looks like the scarred one there, is stronger than even you, though just as stupid."

"Did she just save me?" Yamcha asked to no one in particular, still stupefied by this move, either way Gohan nodded dumbly and Krillin whistled._ 'No, she didn't. She murdered her own companion, just as short stuff over there did. Better not let down my guard again.'_

"These guys sure have no loyalties, do they?" Krillin commented as he let out a sigh of relief, "Thank heavens for Yamcha, I thought he was a goner there for sure."

_'What is she up to?'_ Piccolo wondered, why kill the Saibaman just as he was about to kill Yamcha? Or was that just an accident? _'When she raised her power there, she was a lot stronger than originally expected, contrary to the little guy's words, she's obviously stronger than all the Saibamen put together. What freaking luck; three monsters for the price of two. Goku, where in the name of my better half are you?'_

"I'll handle it this time; oy pretty boy, you want to fight them all? Then how's this, Saibamen all of you attack him at once. Bring me his skull so I could use it as an urn," Callion growled impatiently to both the shrinking Saibamen and the somewhat discomfited Yamcha.

"Hey, I call the shots and I say we do this one at a time!" Vegeta growled back at her, furious that she'd dare to have the temerity to defy him.

"Vegeta, it'll take too long." Callion snapped just as angry as him, "We should pursue strength and victory, not play these stupid games."

"Grrr."

"Um, you two, maybe this isn't the best time for this." Nappa cautioned them reasonably, aware that the enemy might be listening in/paying attention to their argument and how this might affect their chances of victory. The Saiyan unit had never fought or encountered foes quite like this, in both power and brains in some ways.

"Woah, check out those two, they really do seem to hate each other way more than they dislike us," Krillin noted as he glanced over at Piccolo and Tien to see their reactions, the former seemed as stoic as he was at the beginning of this battle while the latter was stunned.

"Yeah." Tien agreed, just as surprised by the rescue and the ensuing argument between the two Saiyan warriors.

"If we do this, then at least let us choose which one of them is going to fight next, I want to see the child fight." Callion told Vegeta, eager to see what Kakarot's half-breed son could do. Mostly, she wanted to know if the battle with Radditz was a fluke or evidence of the child's incredible power.

"Why the kid?" Nappa asked surprised, as the prince cackled thinking her stupid as all women were to his mind.

"Really? You think the boy could possibly fight against a Saibaman, you saw him earlier; he didn't stand a chance. Why don't you fight him yourself then? I'm sure it'd be worth seeing maybe you'd meet an enemy finally worthy of you." The prince commented with a loud snicker, as the supposedly weakest of the only Saiyan survivors' eye twitched irritably.

_'One of these days, I'll squash Vegeta like the pompous insect he is,' _Callion raged in her mind, as she ground her teeth together, _'Just a bit longer and I'll be strong enough to challenge you and your 16,000 power-level once and for all.'_

Little did she know that, the power-level he had held years ago, was no longer a reliable number, given that the Saiyan prince had improved over the years.

Her suggestion though got her a scared reaction from Gohan, as he pointed a finger at himself, and as the other Z-Warriors glared at her, several of them moving towards the boy as though to shield him from her, "M-m-me? She wants m-me to fight one of those monsters?"

"Not happening, Gohan's just a boy." Tien stated eyes narrowed at her, as he stepped forward a little, ready to assume one of the positions for one of the Crane School's primary offensive katas.

"Yeah, we're not letting him fight, let's go with the four on one idea instead," Yamcha shouted at her as well, assuming a battle-ready stance as he waved over the four confused minions who glanced back at Nappa as though waiting for him to somehow settle this in place of his two erstwhile companions.

"No, this time I'll fight," Krillin said as he stepped forward to stand a short distance from Yamcha, "You're not laying a single finger or claw on Goku's son."

"Think about it your highness," Callion said in much more honeyed tones, with a crooked and charming grin now, "What better way to test and to punish Kakarot and his mongrel-son for his dilution of the purity and perfection, of our race than by sicking a Saibaman on him."

This was a tactic she had used often in the past, usually when she wanted something really badly, it didn't usually work but it still sometimes did. More because of the sheer amount of greed and short-sightedness the prince had. Nappa had seen this all repeated a dozen other times, and was certain that this time could go either way. It would either end in Vegeta dissolving to her supposed (non-existent) charm or beating her down. He hoped it wouldn't end in another royal tantrum, because that would just be humiliating before a battle.

_'She never calls him by any title, unless it's because she really wants something,' _Nappa mused he should have been more amused, but all he could do was pray that his Saibamen didn't end up on the receiving end of either's rage, or that neither of them started to fight amongst themselves again.

"Hmm, punishing the whelp for being born, I like that. Alright, he goes next and from now on you'll call me by that title," Vegeta conceded to which he got himself a set of rolled eyes.

"Yeah, whatever," Callion declined indifferently, now that she had what she wanted she didn't care about playing nice with the self-proclaimed royal. "You, go and you better do better than the last two."

"Hmph, either way you can easily handle it Gohan," Piccolo stated confidently, those little Saibamen weren't all that smart, clever yes but nowhere near strong or capable enough to take down the half-Saiyan warrior he had spent the past year training.

_'How dare you!'_ Her decision was forcibly taken out of her hands though, when Krillin growled and glaring them down refused to accept this choice, "I'm not going to let you kill him."

"We never said anything about killing him, punishing yes, testing yes, but not killing. Not yet anyways," Nappa rebuffed with a cold grin on his face, as that was the final straw for the heir to the Turtle School.

"I'm not going to let you do that!" Krillin chanted as he raised his hands above his head charge up his school's finest and most renowned technique, the move that had helped to defeat so many before them, from the Red Ribbon Army, to King Piccolo to Piccolo himself to an extent.

"Attack," Vegeta ordered one of the Saibamen without thought, forgetting all about his decision to have Gohan fight next.

"What the-?" Nappa began but was cut off, his smirk wiped from his face as he gaped at the oncoming blast

The one charging Saibaman leaped out of the way, narrowly dodging the powerful orange blast, just as Tien turned to Chaotzu, "Let's go, Chaotzu!"

"Krillin you idiot!" Yamcha shouted as he leaped out of the way also, terrified at how much energy his short friend was channeling._ 'Just how powerful did he get in this past year?'_

"I'm not sure what he's planning to do, but I know this much; we don't want to be here when the blast hits," Piccolo stated a little daunted, as he turned around from in front of Gohan and broke and ran along with the five-year old.

The blast kept coming from Krillin's small hands, more formidable than anyone could have expected. When it made its way a short distance in front of the Saiyans flew up and split into five different blasts.

The Saibamen though were not creatures that could be called slow as it were, as they broke and ran into different directions, not that it made a lick of a difference. Because Krillin had not spent the past year being idle, for to the shock of all gathered, even the Saiyans who had seen plenty and hid it well, perhaps better than most. The Kamehameha Wave split into five; four to go after the Saibamen, and one blast to hit the Saiyans.

The first Saibaman to flee, was shattered along with the rocks it tried to go and hide behind, a lesson for the others that this blast was no slow-poke. The next two fared about as well, whilst the fourth one managed to get away and to lead the blast to the ground then scurry off to hide behind a small mountain, where it stayed for a few seconds trembling in fear, and relief at having dodge the monstrous attack.

Nappa smirked at him before the blast was fired and continued to do so, alongside Vegeta who cackled, clearly thinking this blast was pathetic. Whilst Callion stared up more impressed by the amount of ki-control these humans had. Sure, Saiyan children could blast things, but it took a certain mastery and self-control to be able to manipulate it in such a manner, without losing any of the power behind the blasts.

_'These humans have a knack, I'll give them that,'_ She thought with a shrug, they were highly adaptable and had plenty of imagination, she wondered if maybe that could put them on a par with Saiyans in any way. _'Maybe in smarts they trump most of our breed.'_

The three of them shielded themselves with their arms as the blast bore down upon them, yet they failed to do anything more against the blast that could have easily disintegrated even some of the finest second and first-class Saiyans of old. At a power-level of over 2,500 Krillin was a force to be reckoned with and this blast would have easily done away with most of Bardock's squad.

And yet, the three Saiyans needed no real protection. Needed no great ki-shield nor did they need to move out of the way, as it was less threatening to them than a bug. So powerful and mighty were they that, were they to encounter the likes of Bardock or King Vegeta, they would have-or better yet could have quashed them both teaming up with even greater ease than this blast.

* * *

"That's my man!" Oolong cheered happily, proud of Krillin for what he had just done, the pig was certain that those no good Saiyans were also done in by that blast._ 'A shame, the chick looked kinda've cute, in a BDSM type way. Aw well, guess she'll just have to live on, in some of my darker fantasies.'_

The rest of them cackled and cheered and giggled, pleased to have won so easily, as Bulma commented, "Wow he really did it! Did you see that!"

All the while, the tv showed the panting yet smiling Krillin, as he grinned at the camera he didn't know was there. The only one who didn't cheer was Roshi, who frowned at the tv.

_'If they were trying to buy time, then that plan just went out the window, not to mention that attack just drained Krillin a bit, he'll need to re-gather his strength and fast because the worst is about to begin.'_ Roshi thought darkly, displeased and annoyed by his adoptive son but aware that he would have reacted much the same at that age, and if he had the power to do so. Krillin would need more than a short-fuse and lack of patience, or even luck to make it through this fight.

* * *

"Wow, Krillin nice job." Gohan commented awestruck by how thorough the destruction of the Saibamen and Saiyans were, it had truly been an impressive feat on the dwarf's part.

"Yeah! That was great!" Tien added doing a fist pump to celebrate the victory, just as Chaotzu giggled ecstatically at the battle being potentially over.

"I'll say, man Krillin you sure don't kid around about this sort of thing," Yamcha agreed as he floated just a short distance from his three-eyed friend, awed by the progress his friend had made.

Krillin let loose a heavy sigh, "Yeah, thanks you guys, that one was for both you Gohan and for Goku."

"Aw, thanks Krillin!" Gohan said touched, by his uncle's protectiveness and courage. But his gratitude was not long-lived as it was then that the Saibaman who had remained hidden in the crevice of a mountain directly behind the child, spotted him and went straight for the boy who sensed its sudden appearance even as he began to scream in fear.

He dashed back, but only made it a short distance before a larger green hand clamped down upon the Saibaman's arm, who began to shake. It's shaking worsened when it saw the look on Piccolo's face for its attempt to murder Gohan who was mere millimeters from its claw.

"Enough." Piccolo stated firmly, as he gave a small battle-cry pulled his arm back and tossed the alien creature into the air after giving it a thorough punch to the gut, then with a small cry he opened his mouth and blasted it to pieces with a ki-blast from his mouth.

_'I wonder where those things come from,'_ Yamcha thought to himself for a second, then decided he really didn't want to know as that would probably mean he'd be dead or eaten or something.

The humans and the half-Saiyan gaped in awe and slight fear at this demonstration of power, as all of them could suddenly feel an inch of the Namekian's incredible power.

_'So Piccolo's become even stronger.'_ Tien concluded with a grin finding its way onto his face, relief filled him at the thought a sentiment he never would have imagined he'd feel at such a thought once upon a time, _'That was incredible, glad he's on my side for a change.'_

The thought came from old memories of first, King Piccolo the heinous monster who had tried to rule the world, and later of the Martial Arts Tournament when Piccolo had first shown up, to fight and try and kill them all, starting with Goku. Little did even Tien Shinhan realize but some part of him, in some distant corner of his mind and soul, had begun to let go, to ease up a little towards the king of Demons and Monsters.

"Thanks for saving me Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed with a happy smile, as he gazed up at his mentor with nothing but admiration and love in his dark eyes.

All of them expected Piccolo to scold him, or to shout or to otherwise behave as demonically as he once would have a decade ago, when they first met his 'father'. But instead his reaction was more muted, as he dropped his battle-ready pose, stood stiffly and said in a gentle voice, "Stay focused Gohan." Then slightly more coolly though with a hint of the same softness to his voice, "Don't make yourself such an easy target."

_'Wow, has he just gone soft or something?'_ Krillin wondered gaping openly at his former enemy and one-time killer, even as Chaotzu smiled a little.

_'Maybe Piccolo's becoming a better person, thanks to Gohan and Goku,'_ Chaotzu thought certain of his naïve notion that Tien, had told him repeatedly in the past was previously impossible.

The smoke caused by the midget's attack in the meantime, had begun to dissipate as the three figures hidden by it were shown to still be standing. Though Piccolo continued to regard his pupil gravely, "You're lucky I was there this time, but next time you better be prepared to save yourself."

Gohan looked a little hurt, though this moment seemed to last about as long as all such moments were destined last this day; but a few seconds before Vegeta's loud laugh penetrated the air. "So much for our little game."

Piccolo's veins popped out in anger as he turned around to glower at the enemy, if it had been any of them that attack would have laid him into the ground, even Piccolo would have walked away in some pain from it.

"Oh, well it was fun while it lasted," The warrior prince sneered through the smoke as his and his subordinates' figures were seen much more clearly now, as the smoke at last finished dissipating completely.

Nappa's chuckle was soon heard as well, as the three of them advanced forward, bearing no real marks or bruises of any sort, the Earthlings stared in horrified shock at the unharmed state of the trio of Saiyans.

"Surprise, surprise this is our favourite part you know, you should see the looks on your faces." Vegeta continued to the ongoing mirth of the much taller male Saiyan, and the growing impatience of his female companion.

"They look like they've seen a ghost," Nappa joked amused by the pale faces of the Earthlings.

_'I don't believe it! Not even a scratch,'_ Tien thought in dismay as he studied them all closely, only to find them completely unharmed as originally assumed.

"C-crap, these guys are monsters!" Yamcha commented as he began to shake in genuine fear, he hadn't expected them to be this strong. Nobody had, not even wise all-seeing Kami.

"What do you guys say we get the real fight started? Any volunteers?" Nappa asked keenly, eyes going to Tien first out of all of them.

"I-I put everything I had into that shot," Krillin exclaimed, a mixture of shock and horror in his voice and on his face.

"Grr," Piccolo growled frustrated, if they were strong enough to shrug such a blast off as though it were nothing, then who knew what else they could do or withstand.

Vegeta and Nappa began to cackle madly, even as Callion shook her head, _'Why are all men such useless clods?'_

"What are we supposed to do now?" The dwarf asked himself, as he finally began to shake out of fright of these three juggernauts who just couldn't seem to be stopped.

The three Saiyans advanced slowly, enjoying the moment of fear and savouring the suffering of their victims before they got the real show started. Even Callion enjoyed the taste of the enemy's fear, it meant they were winning, that the enemy had already submitted victory. And nothing tasted sweeter than the blood of the enemy mixed with the sweet flavour of victory.

"Hey Vegeta, why don't I handle this, there's no sense in all three of us getting dirty," Nappa proposed eagerly, as he and his compatriots came to a short stop away from the noble defenders of Earth.

"As you wish," Vegeta conceded but with conditions, ones he considered fairly reasonable and which befitted his cunning, "But Nappa."

"Hunh?"

"Make sure you don't kill the Namek just yet," He stated eyes on Piccolo whom he was sure was the only one who knew about the Dragonballs despite what the humans had just said a short while before, and how it was the humans who had gathered the Dragonballs to restore Goku to life. "Remember, he's going to tell us where the Dragonballs are."

"Right," Nappa said, not mentioning the info they had heard earlier or over the Scouters, Vegeta in the meantime smirked in self-satisfaction. "I got it."

Meanwhile Callion just gaped at the prince, one simple thought coursing through her mind, _'Is he a complete clod? I mean what a dimwitted fool, we just heard those damn humans mention the Dragonballs, and if the Namek's words are true from a year ago, then that means the humans also know about them, and how to use them.'_

"Never mind," She grunted to herself, as she took a few steps forward, with Vegeta ready to pounce on her, while Nappa stared at her in surprise. The Earthlings took up battle-ready positions, not trusting this cruel alien for a second. As she passed by Nappa, she warned her semi-friend, "Be careful Nappa, and don't take out the child. I want him alive."

"Huh? Why?"

"He's a half-Saiyan he may hold the key to our race's revival, or at least could prove useful, in the future," Callion told him as she glanced at the boy who gulped when he saw that she was looking at him.

"Oh, right," Nappa assented with a smirk to her, if they could revive the Saiyan race even if it was by mingling with these humans, it would be something. "Are you sure about this though?"

"Think about it; if a simple third-class Saiyan's whelp could be this powerful, can you imagine fathering a whole army, and then training them to fight Frieza?" She asked of him, a crooked smirk on her own full lips, as she flashed her eyes at him, her suggestion made his smirk widen a little. He did like his women, and this would mean quite the advantage.

_'And if gathering such an army, is what she has in mind, I'm more than keen to 'take one for the team' so to speak, hahahaha,' _Nappa mused with a small pervy internal laugh, one that Oolong or Roshi would have otherwise let loose if they were offered a planet's worth of beauties as Callion was overing her friend. Straightening up a little, he soon coughed to hide the sudden pervy grin on his lips, forcing himself to remember the here and now; he wasn't victorious yet. He still had some humans to massacre after-all.

"What are you two whispering about? Nappa, get a move on," Vegeta growled at them, losing what little patience he had. "And Callion get back over here, before I really lose my temper."

"Right, right, I don't care either way," She retorted to the royal pain as she considered him to be, "I care about as much for this pointless fight as I do for you or that deserter Turles."

As she spoke, she advanced, away from the battlefield and onto a nearby rock, to the side where she seated herself, with a bored look on her face to the surprise of the humans present.

"Huh?" Mumbled Krillin whom she walked past to get to her rock, confused by her behaviour.

"Hahaha, looks like female Saiyans are as fickle as our own women, huh guys?" Yamcha joked to his friends, who just ignored his bad joke. It was in particularly bad taste if one considered, the personalities of both Launch and Bulma, who did tend to be rather fickle if not violent by nature.

"Soo, I can't kill the Namek or the brat, fine," Nappa remarked conversationally as he moved to the side, eyes on the enemy.

He wasn't doing so to be idle, no it had a purpose, a lethal one. He was moving to put himself, in a direct line to his first target. He didn't know who was the strongest, likely he thought was the Namek, but the second strongest who though he had used up a considerable amount of energy, was the cue-ball he thought.

A honed warrior from decades of warfare and battle all across the universe, Nappa was a genius at combat. A man who had been born a second-class Saiyan warrior, he had made it to first-class by sheer muscle and brutality. Thus, there was a reason that he had been chosen to rear, tutor and mentor Vegeta by his like-named father. His finest warrior, Nappa was actually a finer one than the king himself had ever been.

This was common knowledge to many who knew the Saiyans, sure he was a push-over compared to the simple Vegeta, or the sociopathic and even more powerful Turles, or even the selfish Callion, but he was by no means a weakling or a fool. Sure, he wasn't the smartest around, but for a Saiyan he was quite sharp and quite thorough.

At forty-six years of age, he was in his prime or so he thought, perhaps he could get stronger before he started to decline around the age of sixty or so, but he wasn't going to hold his breath. Not that this meant he was going to let these punks, these inferior beings get the better of him.

_'Still though, they do fight smart and obviously know how to enjoy a good fight, I'll give them that,' _Nappa thought to himself, as he studied them all, enjoying a good brawl was a trait he had in common with them.

"Then you!" He shouted as he began his charge, straight for the midget but Piccolo was faster, standing boldly between the Saiyan and the human with his arms spread out.

"No, here!" The Namekian/Demon crossbreed shouted back, charging up his energy into a three-layered golden blast that, would have crushed and destroyed all of his comrades if they had so much as been grazed by it.

Nappa though was faster than expected, as he came to a quick stop, leant back just as the blast raced past him and headed straight for the mountain further behind him which was soon crushed of its outer layers of earth, then blown to nothing.

The former admiral of Planet Vegeta's armada appeared behind the Namek, who sensing him glanced over his shoulder, only the Saiyan to appear to his right, then when he glanced in that direction he appeared behind him then in front of him again, in order to pull back his long muscled leg and pounce forward.

The blow was a savage one that pulled Piccolo's very saliva and air from his lungs, sending him flying back through a boulder. Shock still written on his long face as he flew through the air.

"Oh, no Piccolo!" Gohan cried out in horror then gasped in fear as Nappa appeared a short distance in front of the humans and him, with his back firmly to the Namek.

Chuckling, he glowered at the boy, "You're a Saiyan you should be enjoying this, kid!"

_'Don't be as squeamish as your disgrace of a Saiyan grandmother was,'_ Nappa thought to himself, as he remembered Bardock's mate and how puny she was and how she had never amounted to much, much like Radditz's mother in that regard. _'Never saw beyond the looks, what that guy saw in her. Then again, he didn't stick around with her for long, given how quickly they both jumped ship from each other. Never saw any women hate anyone as much as those, two hated him.'_

The Demon King rose from the dirt and remains of the boulder, his body wracked with pain as he hugged his pain-filled arm, and two broken ribs. Aware of where he was injured, he tried to let the feelings of pain and the necessity of such an emotion flow in, then out of him as he thanked his body for keeping him informed. It meant he was still alive, though his ribs would heal soon enough thanks to his heightened healing factor.

"Are you okay, Piccolo?" Tien asked, genuinely worried for him to the surprise of his former enemy.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Was grunted back in a reassuring tone, "Just a broken rib or two."

_'Just a broken rib or two? Those kind of injuries don't tickle and would lay Vegeta on the ground for a week,'_ Callion thought as she wrinkled her nose in wry amusement at the Namek's off-handed comment.

Piccolo's eyes widened just as the others did, when Nappa began to raise his voice as he gathered together his own hidden ki, drawing it from his body and charging the air around him with electricity. That was when the earth began to shake, tremble and some of it break apart, as his ki charged the air around all of them and within the Saiyan warrior.

It was more than any they'd ever felt before in their lives, more than Radditz, certainly more than Goku and a lot more than Piccolo himself had ever used.

As Nappa's roar rose in volume, in tune with the shaking of the ground and the rocks defiance of gravity Tien trembled in fear, frozen where he stood. More terrified than he'd ever been in all his life, even when all his bones had been broken by King Piccolo all those years ago, and a lot more than at the World's Martial Arts Tournament four years after that. "I-I've never felt a power like this before!"

Even Piccolo began to shake, though he scowled whether at himself or at the enemy he wasn't too sure, probably more himself for being so damn frightened and how he could not move. Chaotzu in the meantime had raised his arms up as though to shield himself or to repel the earth, the electricity or the growing darkness even he couldn't say.

But then he noticed something that had slipped past the frightened tri-clops, "Hey Tien, look out!" He pointed to the ground beneath the older male's feet. "Feels like the earth is being shaken apart!"

"Oh, man! This is bad!" Krillin stated dumbly as he raised his arms similarly to Chaotzu, his whole body trembling just as Yamcha who was standing next to him nodded.

_'My legs won't stop shaking,'_ Yamcha thought only to be stripped of his voice and confidence; how could they fight someone who was so much stronger than all of them? This was impossible from the very start, or so he wished he still had the voice to cry out such a thing.

Nappa's roar had by now turned into another menacing chuckle, as Gohan lost his footing and fought to get it back, only to regain it long enough to stumble back onto his rear, next to Piccolo.

"Get up, stand firm Gohan!" Piccolo snapped back at him, but just then a splinter in the ground grew where Gohan's upper body was, only for him to jump back instinctively and fall over onto his rump. But this meant little, to the impatient and frightened Demon who took his fear and anger out on him, "I said, get up now, do it! Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by your opponent!"

The reprimand was intended as much for himself, as it was for the boy, as his mentor finally found his courage again and composure. But Gohan needed a few more seconds before he could recompose himself.

"I'll try." Doubt coloured those two words far more than they had ever covered any other words expressed by anyone before.

Nevertheless though, as Nappa continued to cackle the child proved himself his father's son when he assumed a combat pose and determination wrote itself across his face once more. The pose he assumed was more aggressive in nature, with his palm open towards the ground and his right fist reared back a little, near face. This was meant to disguise the direction the fist might swing towards, while also serving as an excellent source of defense, in case the enemy struck towards him.

_'This Saiyan is even stronger than I imagined,'_ Piccolo realized in frustration, as he wondered now himself just what they were going to do to fight this alien monster.

Nappa by now was done with charging up, done with waiting and done with stalling to fight himself a target, before he had been testing them. As a wolf tests the defenses of a moose or bear, so he had been doing the same, with this charge intended to be the real start of the battle.

He flexed his power as electricity surrounded him, and as the earth around him broke apart even more, with Tien and the others struggling to stand their ground. The force of his ki was so strong, it was actually forcing them back with little paramount difficult for it.

The Saiyan glowed a bright shimmering orange hue as thunder struck down from the heavens straight towards him, it struck but as it was a part of him it could not possibly hurt him (not that it could have to begin with). The gale-force winds that were summoned by his will at last began to have an effect, as Chaotzu who was being thrown back finally accessed his ki, which glowed a bright blue glow around him stabilized his position and all him to stand his proverbial ground in the air.

Nappa's eyes went straight to the long-lived infant, something that Tien the one with the best eye-sight and easily one of the most perceptive of the gang noticed at once, "Chaotzu be careful."

His words were all he could get out or do to help Chaotzu who had closed his eyes due to the exertion, therefore he didn't notice the Saiyan turn his head, open his mouth and blast a quick ki-blast at him. The blast hit almost full-force, then veered upwards hitting him in the chin only for the human to be thrown back onto a nearby mountain. Which he bounced off of, then fell to the ground in utter defeat, already unconscious.

The cackle came back, with Piccolo the first to notice and the first to warn his teammates, "Watch it, he's almost ready to attack!"

"Haha-ahaha, YEAH! YES!" Nappa crowed happy to release his full-power for all the world to see, all 6,000 of it as he asked them in a mighty, confident voice. "Now, which one of you wants to die first?" His eyes moved from one to the next, as they all stood transfixed by him, "Well if there's not a volunteer-I'll choose!"

And so his gaze fell upon Tien. The man whom he had had his eye upon since the beginning. Acknowledging in the cyclops-man a certain genius, a knack to turn an impossible situation into a total victory, by a combination of cunning and sheer force of will.

Tien shook and then steeled himself, he took up one of the primary poses for the Crane School, ready for whatever Nappa had to dish out, he'd meet his steel and match it with his own so to speak. With his right fist rear back, facing upwards and his left one held up with the two index fingers and thumb at the ready, and thumb all pointed near each other with the two rear fingers pointed down a little also.

Nappa crossed the distance between them faster than even Tien's eyes could so much as follow, and before he knew it or was properly ready for it, he had taken a step back as the first exchanges of blows took place. Nappa's arm struck his, then they clashed a second time, leaving all the bones' below the tri-clops' elbow broken to his utter shock just as the Saiyan jumped back into the air.

"Watch out, Tien!" Piccolo screamed from the side, aware that he wouldn't be able to get there in time to help the human if he tried. "Above you!"

But it was too late, with his hand clenched into a fist Nappa came bearing down upon Tien who tried to defend himself with his arm in a gesture honed by years of practice, only to lose said arm in an explosion of pain and blood that rocked the core of his being then.

He howled to the heavens, as he clutched at his now handless arm, shock consuming him just as pain already had. In that instant, Chaotzu had regained consciousness, and had taken to the air once again only to be forced to watch his idol nearly fell to his knees in pure agony.

"Tien, no!" Tears marred Chaotzu's vision, as his best-friend was all but defeated with one mighty blow.

Tien though was not finished, proud and strong he would not die to a single blow, he wouldn't let himself fall so quickly. Taking flight far above Nappa, to put some distance he concentrated as much of his own ki into his remaining hand, in preparation for a single-handed Tri-Beam.

A powerful technique, most users and practitioners of the Crane School would never be able to properly use or master such a blast with two hands and when in a serene frame of mind, but Tien was no ordinary practitioner. He was the single greatest master of this school that had ever lived, and an unparalleled genius with ki-control (with only two others equaling him in the human race). And had spent the past year also learning to wield the potent attack with only one hand, so to him it was all but a simple matter to gather enough energy to throw such an attack around.

But he was too slow. He had just thrown his remaining hand back, in order to prepare to throw the blast forward, only for Nappa to charge up past him, throwing himself upside down in order to kick him down in the gut, sending the human flying straight towards the ground.

"No, no, no! Mr. Tien!" Gohan cried out, while Nappa cackled cruelly and as the gentle warrior hit the ground.

_'I won't die here, I will continue to fight! I won't surrender, I'll never surrender!'_ Tien vowed, it was all he could do to stay conscious but with all the strength of his spirit, of his heart and all his will (enough for any Green Lantern to approve of and stare in awe of), Tien groaned in pain, yet began to make his way to his feet slowly and painfully.

"What? Why that stubborn little-he just refuses to die!" Nappa cursed as he gaped at the human, just how much pain could these critters take? Even he had to admit that after such a beating and the loss of his arm, even the likes of Paragus or Bardock would have been reduced to screaming in agony. _'Did we underestimate them?'_

"Ahahahaha! Look at him, I guess you could see he's been 'disarmed' wouldn't you say, Nappa?!" Callion joshed as she cackled, snorted and otherwise disgraced herself with one of the worst puns he had ever heard.

_'C'mon, don't freaking show your 'punny' side, I hate it when you make us look bad with that little demonstration,'_ Nappa grumbled mentally, but she was just getting started in disgracing herself. Between her passion for puns, and pig-like laughter she very rarely showed when laughing, an elegant appearance (in fact she ressembled King Kai a tad too much at such times, as Goku was later to comment).

"Hey, guess he could use a 'hand' or two!" She crowed amusedly.

"Shut up, you ugly cow!" Yamcha shouted at her, putting an end to her heartless laughter, and earning him a scowl in reply. Little did he know, but that comment had just earned him a death sentence as far as the female Saiyan was concerned.

"No, we need to get his tail somehow!" Piccolo growled, as he waved his fist at the Saiyan in frustration, his mind already moving onto a possible plan to defeat this warrior.

"I'll get him!" Yamcha shouted, as he began to charge forward to go after Nappa, as much as to assist his comrade.

"N-no, this ends here!" Krillin agreed as he began to move alongside his friend, both of them intent on saving Tien.

"No, you two, it's too late to save him," Piccolo called out, but it was futile not that their attempt to help their friend went unnoticed by the enemy.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nappa snapped, as he waved the two fingers of his right-hand towards them, as a blast shook the ground and blasted through the earth for kilometers.

The force of his blast, sent the two humans flying back with Piccolo raising his arms to shield himself from the dirt, rocks and dust. Krillin stared open-mouthed and terrified next to Yamcha, into the seemingly bottomless pit, while their enemy laughed loudly above them.

On the other side of the pit, Gohan and Piccolo gaped openly down at the bottomless hole, with the green-skinned one gasping out, "In-incredible, there's no bottom to this thing!"

"That's just a pockmark you Namek lizard!" Nappa shot back only to add to his boast. "Wait until I really get started."

"Then why don't you try eating this!" Yamcha shouted back, "It's my turn, I'm tired of letting this guy have his way! Ka-me-ha-me-"

But Yamcha would never live to utilize the ki he had just summoned forth, Nappa for his part noticed him gathering his energy, and simply raised one hand, gathered his own ki much more quickly and blasted him off, along the ground and into a small crater with all of the might and power he could summon, in the heat of the moment. Distracted as he was, he had acted too quickly for even his own taste, as he would have liked to have had fun tearing apart the scar-faced human.

It very obviously proved to be too much for the much weaker human though, "Not so fast, scar-face!"

_'What?'_ was all Yamcha had time to think, before he paid the final price for his courageous attempt to save his friend and defy the terrible warrior floating above him. It was over a second later.

The blast was a quick and powerful one, that exploded on contact and sent Yamcha flying back, not unlike a rag-doll. It was also measured in terms of power at the 4,000-power ratio, much too high for even someone as formidable as the former bandit who was just a bit stronger than half that. As he was pulverised and killed instantly, before he or anyone could even so much as, know what had happened to him. Let alone think to help or protect him.

"YAMCHA!" Krillin screamed in horror, still seated on his rump as he gaped at the air where his friend had previously been then behind him, at where he'd fallen, his ki gone, even his life-energy no longer gave a signal.

"Guess that's the end of him," Vegeta remarked amused by how the first of these humans died, he'd have expected it to be one of the Saibamen who did it, but this was fine too, he cackled sadistically at the sight, just as Krillin ran over to check for his vitals.

"He's not… dead is he…?" Gohan asked his pure heart breaking, as he recalled all the stories he'd grown up with, all the stories that had yet to be told of Yamcha, being cut short by such a decisive, and barbaric act.

"A surprise attack, no way to defend," Piccolo remarked just as shocked and aggrieved, more for their chances of victory as Yamcha could have been useful and helped a lot more than what he had been able to thus far. With this sudden attack, intended to demoralize and grind them down, as much as it was to murder the cunning warrior.

* * *

"Yamcha…?" Bulma said almost catatonic with grief, where she sat glued to the tv, horrified by the loss of her sweetheart, it couldn't be over could it? Yamcha had been her first, in all things especially love yet there he was dead. And for the rest of her life, she'd have to carry on without him, always looking back and wondering what may have been, or what could have been.

"I'm sorry everyone, I'm afraid we've lost him," Roshi murmured sadly, sensing the man's ki snuff out, just as Krillin on-screen checked for his vitals only for his shoulders to visibly slump then start shaking, as tears fell from his eyes.

Puar was the first to react, the first who's eyes welled up with tears and the first to lose it. She rushed the tv, pressing herself against it with no thought to how uncomfortable static electricity was to her fur, with no other thought than; her baby whom she had discovered, fed and care for since he was but a few months old was dead. He was no more, and she still was; how could anyone call such a cruel event natural? If anything, it should have been her that died first, her that had to make such a sacrifice or died so brutally.

_'My baby! My poor, sweet and gentle Yamcha! How could those animals do such a thing?!'_ She thought heartbrokenly as she wept loudly, sobbing and howling with grief and pain, as it took on a physical form to torture her where her gut and heart were.

"NO, YAMCHA! PLEASE DON'T GOOO!" Puar sobbed as she hugged the screen, as though she thought she could transport herself to the scene of the deed herself or somehow will him back to life.

Bulma had by now begun to snap out of it, to pull herself back together and to accept reality, as her shoulders began to shake slowly. She remembered her first kiss, their first time together in that hotel, when they were both little more than fourteen, he was so nervous, so scared of hurting her, or how she'd call him over for foot-massages sometimes, so that she could then seduce him, it always started with a foot-massage with them. Or how, when she first talked to him, he was so shy, so timid and so kind underneath his brigand ways, how he'd quickly been touched by Goku.

_'He was everything to me,'_ For the girl born to everything save attentive parents (or almost caring ones at all), who had been raised with all the might of pure intellect and science, who had never been the best with her feelings, all she could think at that moment was how she'd lost her whole life just now. No more walks along the beach, no more late night jokes, no more free base-ball games where Yamcha would take off his cap and place it on her head with a peck on the cheek. All those precious moments, each one of them special to her, all gone. Forever.

"NO! NO! NO! Nooooo!" Puar sobbed still, slamming her paw against the tv with all of her negligible might, unable to accept such a cruel reality as to have to bury her adoptive son.

As Bulma stared under Puar's arm though, she caught sight of Yamcha's legs revealed from where Krillin was bent over, she pressed a hand into her long hair, pulling on the tresses Yamcha had loved to musse and run his hands through, with all that she had as her eyes began to cut, and tear themselves, her tears running down her high-cheek boned cheeks. Her memories of him, his roguish grin, his tinkling eyes, all shattered in her mind's eye as she began to sob.

A kindly hand fell onto her shoulder as she struggled to keep the tears from flowing, as Roshi looking every inch his age smile sadly at her, offering a bit of comfort all that he could possibly provide. "Bulma, it's okay to let it all out."

The green haired girl shook her head, but those words were the final spark on the tinder box that ignited the full force of her grief, as she broke down into his gentle arms, sobs wracking her whole body. "Maaassster Roosshiii!"

"There that's it, let it out," Roshi told her gently, suppressing his own tears, he had loved that boy, adored all his students in fact and Yamcha was no exception. _'Kami it is as though I've lost my son, Gohan all over again. Oh, Goku where are you? We need you.'_

"Everything's going to be alright," He told her as calmly as he possibly could, there was still one thing that gave him hope and allowed him to breath and not allow his grief and pain to fully finish what age hadn't already done.

"B-b-buuut why did it have to be Y-Yamchaaa?" Bulma asked sobbing.

Roshi patted her back. He had no answer. And even if he could have given a satisfactory one, he wouldn't have given it; it would have been poor consolation for her grief and would have been wildly inappropriate for such a moment.

* * *

"Ugh, why did you have to go and be the hero, you big stupid jerk!?" Krillin sobbed over the corpse having just finished closing his friend's eyes, having run over to the corpse which had fallen into a little crater caused by the explosion.

Grief wracked through his body and soul then. Sure, they could wish him back, but that didn't change the wrongness of the fact that he was dead. "I was the one who ran first… It should have been me, he blew up! You he-hear me Yamcha? You can't die, it should have been me! It shoulda been me!"

"Yamcha…" Tien gasped in horror, when he saw what had become of his friend, in fact it was the first thing, he saw when he regained consciousness. Not that he had much time to grieve, before he heard Nappa's next words.

"Oh, shut up! It doesn't matter who goes down first, don't you get it? You're all gonna die in the end!" Nappa shouted down at him furiously, fighting down the pity he had almost felt.

He needed to shout at the midget, otherwise, well he didn't deal with 'otherwises'. They were the prey, and he the hunter. Yeah, no need for silly emotions, better to just let the thrill of kill or be killed overtake him, with that in mind he insisted more to himself, than to anyone else. _'I don't care.'_

"Calm down Nappa, give them a moment to clear this trash off the battlefield," Vegeta reprimanded coldly, with a hint of amusement in his voice that was so evident on his face.

_'I wonder, if he'd say that if it was one of us,' _Callion mentally asked herself though she didn't say anything, well better a quick warrior's death to a slow and ignoble one to her mind. Ban would have liked this guy, and likely preferred a death like that, not that it mattered, she told herself. Dead is dead.

The veins on Krillin's head popped out, as he turned around all but seeing red, only to glare at the gargantuan Saiyan, with more hatred than he had ever felt before in all his life. Suddenly he wished he had the power to kill these Saiyans, to make them feel as small, weak and helpless as Yamcha had been compared to them, as he felt then and as pathetic as all of their victims had felt before their lives were snuffed out.

But then just as he opened his mouth to claim dibs to the right to fight Nappa, he noticed something more out of the corner of his mind and eyes at first, then as his eyes moved from side to side, he focused slightly more on this detail. He knew himself to be too weak to fight Nappa head-on, and for all that he was about to charge in Yamcha and Tien's names, he suddenly realized someone had beaten him to the punch.

"Huh?" Then Krillin noticed that someone else was missing, interrupting his moment of grief for his fallen friend, "Where's Chaotzu?"

His words were heard by the broken Tien, who leaning on his arms (or what was left of one of them) glanced about, searching for his best-friend, for his life-long partner in the hardships and joys of life, his confidante and brother. "Wh-what? N-noo… CHAOTZUUUUU!"

"Hunh, I guess my aim was a little off," Nappa commented wondering if maybe he had hit and destroyed the little pale one by accident when he either blasted the ground or when he snuffed out the long-haired loser. Tien glared at him with all the hatred and will in the fiber of his being, a look the Saiyan sneered at, "Awww, what's the matter, three-eyes?"

"Nappa, watch it, you're being careless," Vegeta informed him hypocritically, with a short laugh and smirk on his lips, unaware that were it him out there he'd be far more so, than his lackey.

"Watch out, Nappa!" Callion screamed without thinking, worried for her comrade as he blinked in surprise at the two warnings from his friends.

"Hmm? Wha?" Nappa gasped as he felt a sudden shift in the weight on his back, as Chaotzu flew out from behind him and latched onto his arm, clinging to the holes in the armpit area of the armour to stick close to him.

"Huh? Chaotzu!" Tien shouted, his heart clenching and breaking all at once from within his chest.

"Why, you little-!" Nappa growled as he panicked, he tried to reach over one shoulder, then the other, then the first again, then the second, then he tried reach under his armpits, all to no avail. At most he grazed the infant's hat, not even his real body or head. "C'mere you little dwarf!"

Chaotzu though would not budge, as he began to gather his energy into himself along with also his life-energy a well of power that could perhaps be far more potent than any other in some ways. He had seen how Yamcha had gone down, had borne witness to how quickly someone as strong as he could die, and had realized that as someone far weaker than him, Chaotzu was not going to survive this battle.

_'Fine, then it'll be on my terms,'_ he thought to himself as he lifted his chin a fraction in defiance to the brute he was latched onto, the least he could do then was to take this monster with him. Make his death count and all.

"Nappa, get that little troll off of you, immediately!" Callion cried out as she realized in a split-second what he was about to do, what that Saibaman tried to do to the scar-faced guy and would have failed to accomplish as far as she knew, would be nothing compared to what this kid could do by detonating.

But Nappa was already on the move, realizing also what it was the kid was trying to do, he flew straight for one of the mountains nearby, so as to put an end to this farce. He slammed with all his might, into the mountain back first, shattering its peak to pieces, as Chaotzu screamed in pain, the rocks biting into his back, arms and legs as blood began to flow freely from his injuries. At the same time as his legs' bones snapped like twigs while his spine began to twitch in pain, on the verge of giving out.

"CHAOTZU! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Tien screamed, raw pain far more so than when he had lost his hand coursed forth from his suddenly raw throat.

The next blow was aimed slightly higher, with the back of Chaotzu's head took the brunt of it, yet it remained intact, his skull mostly undamaged save for a few open wounds that bled freely.

Three mountains later, with all the momentum that went beyond the speed of sound itself, and three horrible screams of pure agony later, and Nappa was no closer to saving himself from the little human.

Gohan stared and whimpered in shock and sympathy, unable to believe what his eyes were telling him; another friend of his was about to die. He had already seen one of his father's precious friends die, he couldn't bear to see another one.

"I can't look," He sniffled as his nose leaked and his eyes began to shed more tears, many having already been shed when the first of the martyrs of the Saiyan invasion had fallen.

"Watch Gohan! I said watch! Don't turn away!" Piccolo commanded in an angry voice, almost angrier than he had ever been towards him as far as Gohan could remember, causing him to gape up at Piccolo in fear for the first time in months. Piccolo he could see was biting his lip, and staring in helpless anger… And admiration. "Honour his bravery."

He didn't want to disappoint Piccolo, any further than he already had, so though it was painful, though it would only scar him and though it scared him. Gohan did something few adults could even stomach, or ever do in their whole lives or even had to, as he at just five years old did something for the second time today: He forced himself to watch as his friend, died.

"You're asking for it!" Nappa shouted at the little human still glued to his back, trying one last instinctive attempt to pull him off his back, only for it to be back to the ground and mountain smashing for the kid.

_'He's moving around too much, I can't get a clean shot, damn that dirty human!' _Callion cursed as she stared up at her fellow Saiyan, the only one she sincerely liked and who had always looked out for her, as he fought for his life. It infuriated her, and though she would later deny to care at all for the big lug, in that instant her heart had already stopped in her chest.

But if hers' was close to stopping, Tien's had already stilled itself, as his blood boiled at the same time, "Chaotzu! Get off! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

_'Tien can you hear me?'_ He heard in his mind, as Chaotzu spoke to him telepathically with the last of his strength. _'I hope my ESP is still working… I have to say goodbye now.'_

"What? Chaotzu what are you talking about? Chaotzu!" Tien called out brokenly, unable to accept, unable to believe that Chaotzu could do such a thing, could allow such a thing to happen to him. "You're not going anywhere! Just STOP IT!" A hysterical note had by now entered his voice, as tears began to flow down the length of his face.

Nappa flew upwards into the heavens, as much to protect his friends as it was to prepare for his true last dish resort to save himself. With this, he'd unlatch the kid from him, by simply solidifying his ki onto his back so as to slide the boy off of him, and to act as a kind of force-field to shield himself from harm. A little trick, he had picked up twenty-two years ago, from a certain planet, he had squashed alongside the king.

_'I'm sorry Tien, but I have to do this!'_ Chaotzu retorted stubbornly, as he now glowed a bright blue glow unaware of what it was Nappa was already doing. _'Thank you for everything, you're my best friend. Always.'_

"No, don't!" Tien whispered finally catching onto what his friend was planning to do, and it broke him even further if that was even possible. "Chaotzu! PLEASE! This isn't the answer!"

_'It's the only way Tien…'_ he thought to his friend, just as his would be victim began a downwards flight towards the ground, as though to try one last attempt to dislodge him from his back. _'Don't worry, I'm not afraid. Because if I can save you, then it's worth dying for…'_

Tien cradling the remains of his shattered left limb, stared up into the skies refusing to acknowledge what was happening, He pulled himself together to stand defiantly, "NO! Stop it! Get OFF!"

_'Goodbye Tien… Remember me!'_ Chaotzu pleaded, it was his last and only wish, along with the one that his best friend and hero would live on, would live a long and fruitful life and someday stand side by side with Goku, just as they always dreamed he would.

"What?" Nappa shouted in surprise, or so it seemed as he glanced over his shoulder to the growing blue ki aura on his back, he then picked up speed towards one of the large mountains nearby, as Krillin, Piccolo and gaped in horrified fascination.

"CHAOTZU! NO!" Tien screamed at the top of his lungs, reaching out a hand to the skies as though to grasp and pluck his friend away from danger, with Nappa mere meters away from the mountain top, it happened. Chaotzu detonated in a huge boom and burst of smoke his body and life were no more.

Everyone gaped, but none more widely or with more sorrow than Tien. Who remembered every moment, every second, every breath that Chaotzu had taken or spent with him ever since they first met.

He thought of the piglet that the boy had once plucked to show him, the joy he'd had simply by seeing something alive, small and thriving. Of how gentle and good he was, of how he'd once robbed people, how they had grown up together. They had always been there for each other, as brothers. As far back as he could remember, he had always doted upon Chaotzu. Had always shielded him from the rain, sleet and snow, as well as from the angry villagers who chased after them, when the jig had been up.

Never before would he have considered it possible for his best friend to fall, with Tien having always used to carry him when he'd fall asleep from exhaustion, when they were on the road. He also remembered, how it was Chaotzu who had defended Launch's presence, on their training-trips, how it was his friend who had developed a bond first with Krillin, Goku and the others. For him to be cut down, for him to die before him was more than he could ever endure, just as Goku's death had been too cruel to be real in his eyes.

The realization that he'd allowed this, that he'd let Chaotzu come to such an end, would forever haunt him so long as he drew breath, so long as his soul existed and even in the next life, he'd never forgive himself. He may as well have murdered the boy with his own two hands.

_'What will I tell Launch, when I return home without him?_' Tien thought as he trembled with self-disgust and self-hatred, no he wouldn't do such a thing. He couldn't. He'd sooner die than be so disgusting and dishonourable as to let Chaotzu die, then immediately afterwards dishonour the lady of his heart like that. And what was worse was the uglier truth; they could not bring back Chaotzu.

Tien screamed to the heavens, no roared with all of his strength and grief in his very being, no that had become his very being. First, he disappointed Bulma by allowing Yamcha to die, then he dishonoured Chaotzu and Launch by standing by, as his best friend was butchered, it was more than he could take.

"What an extraordinary feat! You see Gohan, size alone is not enough," Piccolo praised in admiration with a shaky grin on his face, and nothing but respect for the honour and courage that Chaotzu had borne all his life and especially in his last moments. "You have to have heart and cunning too." _'And honour.'_

There was a moment of silence, to honour the sacrifice of the courageous Chaotzu, who had given his life for his friends and for the honourable Tien Shinhan. With Krillin bowing his head his eyes first squeezed shut in mourning for the pure and good little boy, he had adored alongside everyone.

_'Poor Chaotzu! He only ever thought of others, and poor Tien for losing him, I can't imagine what Launch is going through!'_ Krillin thought only to complain bitterly to himself, _'It should have been you, you stupid dolt! Yet again you just stood by as one of your best friends died, and yet you do nothing!? Idiot! Weakling! If Goku were here, he wouldn't have stood by!'_

He hated himself then, and even more for at least taking solace in the fact that at least that big moustachioed monster was finished, Chaotzu's sacrifice was not in vain.

A cackle was heard, as though to deny and prove him wrong. It mocked all their courage, all their heroics, all the good they were trying to bring about, it sneered at their sacrifices, at their losses and at their grief.

"Phew," Callion murmured to herself with a slight sigh of relief, even as she wiped the small bit of sweat that had gathered on her brow, "Had me worried there for a moment."

The smoke dissipated, as Tien gasped and stared up at the floating Saiyan who cackled down at them. "Mwuhahaha, now you see him, now you don't."

"Nappa, he nearly had you there, you barely managed a defence," Vegeta commented with a smirk on his lips and no relief whatsoever in sight, if anything there was a slight moue of disappointment carved onto his long face.

_'I don't think I could have dodged or blocked such an attack,' _Callion conceded impressed once again by her comrade's defensive abilities, he was built like an ox and more efficient than anyone could ever be in combat, or so she'd observed over the past sixteen years.

"Wh-what? It can't be!" Krillin gasped, trembling in mortal terror at what had to be a ghost, because there was no way that Nappa could have survived such an attack. No one could have. Not him, not Piccolo and maybe not even Goku. He stared at the untouched monster, his voice rising in hysterical horror, the more he observed the Saiyan monster floating up above him. "Not even a scrape! So-so that means that Chaotzu sacrificed himself for NOTHING!?"

_'Didn't even come close,'_ Nappa gloated with a sneer on his face, sure the kid was powerful, but nothing compared to the giant warrior he tried to take down without much if any success.

"Chaotzu… he's gone… he's already been wished back to life once before!" Tien screamed eyes glaring up at Nappa as he raised a fist at him, at their pathetic attempts to take out the Saiyan, at the futility of their efforts and at the heavens that seemed to sneer down upon them and their noble attempts to protect their home and planet. He began to shout, to scream as he raised his fist, full of grief, "Now not even the Dragonballs can bring him back! Hnggrrrr!" Hate filled him then, once the grief had departed, his voice shaking with the force of his emotions, "Y-you'll pay for what you've done! You hear me?! YOU'LL PAY!"

_'Wished back once?' Callion_ wondered pensively, once again there was talk of those Dragonballs only being able to wish someone back once, and once again it wasn't the Namek who spoke of such things. _'So the humans do know all about them, and these balls have limits, but what kind? Though they possess incredible power, they must have limitations, maybe Vegeta's stupid fantasy of living and suffering forever under Frieza's heel is just that; a fantasy.'_

She was half-tempted to call the whole thing off, but it was already out of her hands. Once Nappa started fighting it was damn near impossible to call him off, not without getting involved yourself. Not to mention, if she gave one more order she'd be liable to take another beating from the prince of fools over there, and she wasn't in the mood for one as she had already pushed her luck as it was.

"Fool!" Nappa shouted back down at him, swept up by his own anger and by the heat of the moment, what was the human doing shouting at him in that manner? It wasn't Nappa who had told the brat to kill himself like that, this was war, people died. Deal. Or so he told himself and wanted to tell three-eyes that. "Go ahead make your threats! It doesn't matter how angry you'll get, you still don't have a chance of ever beating us!"

The taunt was an effective one, and shut up Tien for a few seconds, but the Saiyan warrior wasn't finished, as he got caught up in the heat of the moment and ran his mouth off, for the first time that day behaving unwisely, after a career built on wise and cunning moves. "And the funny thing is; YOU NEVER DID!"

The anger in Nappa's voice startled the Earthlings, even Callion looked visibly surprised and put off, with Vegeta amused as he wondered why his comrade was getting so caught up in the moment.

The big bald warrior genuinely wanting to push Tien yes, but also push him into having more guts. A man and warrior should live and die prepared to do so in any given moment, with all that he had. If tri-clops didn't have the balls to die without whining that, was his problem as far as Nappa was concerned.

_'He's too soft, he should torture them some more,' _Vegeta mused to himself with a slight cackle under his breath, as his comrade glowered down at Tien.

_'Why does he care?'_ Callion thought at the same time, though she could not help but consider that little pale boy, _'He fought… honourably. Is Nappa affected by it?'_

Piccolo meanwhile bit through his lip hard enough with his fangs to taste the iron taste of blood in his mouth. He was furious and insulted, how dare Nappa besmirch the honour with which Chaotzu had died, and Yamcha before him. How dare he? For someone to die with their head held high, with all their conviction thrown against the enemy without a second thought to themselves. How could one not admire and aspire to such a noble death?

_'Chaotzu had honour, I would never have disrespected him in so sadistic a manner, it is unbecoming of one so strong,' _Piccolo thought full of wroth as he glared with all the hatred he could possibly summon, which was quite a bit.

Gohan in the meantime glared at the monsterwith tears in his eyes, angry, as well as being newly introduced to the first impure emotion he had ever felt since Radditz had bullied and tortured his precious and doting daddy; hate. He hated Nappa, he hated that big bully, hated how he killed his and his daddy's friends. How dare he then mock them! Did he have no heart?

As Nappa laughed louder and louder, enjoying the battle, enjoying the risks and appreciating the adrenaline that Chaotzu had caused to flow freely in his veins, as Krillin glared at him also. Full of hate yes, anger yes, but also the inability to understand just why and how this monster could be so cruel. Did he never consider, not once caring for others or fighting for someone else other than himself? How could he be so strong, and so evil?

* * *

"Chaotzu!" Oolong breathed full of pain, tears in his eyes as he sniffled his piggy snout, trying to fight off his tears. The pig was a lecher yes, a glutton yes, but he truly loved his friends. And nobody could say that they cared or almost cared more for the safety and happiness of children, especially those whom he was surrounded by. He had loved Goku as he had a younger brother, Krillin had been rather akin to a best-guy friend, with Yamcha another little brother yet one he could get up to no end of mischief with.

But Chaotzu, he was different. He was so gentle and sensitive that no prank could or should ever be pulled on him, he was different from Goku, Krillin and Yamcha. In some ways he had never grown up, so Oolong had coddled him longer.

"Oh, Chaotzu you poor boy," Roshi croaked as he felt sobs nearly wrack him, if he hated himself before now, he positively despised himself, as the news showed the sacrifice of the next warrior. "He's already been brought back, so he can't be revived. Not anymore."

"Oh no, poor Tien, poor Launch!" Bulma whispered heartbroken for her two friends, including her bestie, who had adored the boy as though he were her own. Especially the blonde violent one, she had a hard time letting people in, when she heard of how Chaotzu had died and the heartbreak it would doubtlessly cause Tien, it would destroy her. "This is too horrible!"

"Oh, poor Chaotzu…" Ox-King murmured, he had also loved the boy, a gentle and soft person, Ox-King had grown since his redemption to love peace, hate violence and had quit Martial Arts for that very reason. There was a reason he pressured his nation to favour peace in all things, better to trade, make friends and never fight than to hurt others or so he now believed.

But it was more than that, Ox-King and Chaotzu had been friends, with the little boy shown how to hunt, how to cook and even how to knit by the giant of a man. The boy had been so happy to have a paternal figure, so happy to have a father of sorts that it had touched Ox's kindly heart, melting it and making him think of Chaotzu almost as a third child or nephew, as he doted on him and sometimes listened to his woes. His feelings of holding back Tien, his worries about being replaced by Launch, then later his adoration for her and desire for her to stay with Tien and him, over the years as Ox-King had listened he had tried to guide the slow-aging boy, as best he could.

Goku had been different, wise and kind by nature he was more like Ox-King than even he knew, with Chi-Chi she had need of someone to be rationale at times as she was passionate, impulsive yet by no means harmful to others emotionally. But Chaotzu, he needed more encouraging, more of a passionate supporter for him, and Ox had even tried to teach him about some of Launch's interests to help him grow that bond.

Needless to say, the giant was now wracked with sobs, before when Yamcha died he had truly been hurt but it was also for his son-in-law, whom he had helped raise as a beloved son. How Goku would be shattered to find his big brother dead, but here this was closer to home, closer to Ox-King as he pressed two large meaty fingers to his eyes and fought down his own sobs, aware that he'd need to be stronger. _'Gohan, get out of there. Grandpa, mommy and daddy couldn't survive if something happened to you now. Kami knows, I'm not sure if I'll survive Chaotzu and Yamcha's losses at this rate.'_

* * *

Back to the fight, Nappa came down for a landing a smirk still on his lips, as he met the raw pain and hate in the eyes of the Earth's greatest defenders with the kind of glee on his face that a spoiled child would demonstrate when handed a new toy.

"Aw man, this is crazy! What do we do Piccolo? He's just too strong!" Krillin cried out in despair, truly frightened in that instant that this Saiyan was invincible as he was unable to fathom just how this giant could survive Chaotzu's blast and still be walking around as though nothing had happened. "This is impossible!"

"Stand your ground Krillin," Piccolo told him only to remind him as Gohan shook and stared with open terror grateful that he (Gohan) had already emptied his bladder before the fight because if not, he'd have already peed himself, "We're here for a reason."

"Uahh, Ch-Chaotzuuu…" Tien murmured brokenly, pressing a hand against the soft cold grass, tears pouring down from his third eye almost more than his other two, as his tears sprinkled and dotted the ground beneath him.

"Huhahaha, giving up already? Don't you worry, you'll be joining him soon," Nappa told him after landing his body-language languid, his tone almost conversational and friendly, as though they were discussing the weather over drinks and not the horrid tragedy that had just been wrought he then chuckled at his own jest.

Tien gritted his teeth. He had had it, he fought down his tears and grief, furiously he balled up his hatred, gathered it together like feathers and grass in the wind just as he tightened his fingers together into a fist, and glared at the ground. "'Kay that's it." Then he spoke louder until he was shouting, "This one's for you Chaotzu!"

And with the mightiest battle-cry of his life, one full of all the passion, all the love, all the hate he had ever felt in his heart, he threw himself straight towards this monster. Hand reared back over his head, as he summoned his ki to his arm, in order to enhance his strength as much as his speed, this blow could have easily killed even the mighty Radditz or Goku from a year before. It could have shattered mountains, and crumpled the earth beneath them into nothing.

It missed though, but Tien wasn't finished as he followed it up with an upwards jab of the same arm, normally he'd have had to use his other arm but as that was missing he clumsily followed it up with his other, then with his legs, he was good at kicks and leg-moves. His lower body strength was greater than his mentors' or even Roshi or most humans had ever had or could imagine, as he did a semi-backflip when he kicked up, landed and jabbed again with his index, middle fingers and thumb towards Nappa.

All of these courageous attacks missed.

_'He must know he's a dead-man if he keeps this up right? So then, why does he fight on?'_ Callion asked herself confused, as she stared at the three-eyed human and his fight for love, for passion and for the loss of a comrade. _'I'd never throw my life away for another, and none would do so for me.'_

Yet something had stirred in her, something hidden deep within had begun to stir as she remembered a cold and lonely morning, spent crying over the corpse of her hero, of her Ban.

Three jabs later, and four side-ways kicks, all aimed for the sneering face of the Saiyan who amusedly parried each blow with a speed that startled all those watching, as Nappa eyed each blow before it came almost in slow-motion then thought about it, and then moved his arms accordingly.

On it went, like a dance of death, with Tien on the offensive striking with all the passion in him, with all the incredible will in him. Yet it amounted to nothing, as the rocks rose and electricity in the air crackled, Nappa though he backed away did so more out of a courtesy towards the human and his grief, as he sneered down at him with his lips curved upwards in an amused and pleased smirk.

_'He's really giving it all, gotta hand it to him, he's doing better than I expected him to,' _He thought as he parried each blow with a firmness that any Martial-Artist or soldier would have envied.

"Not bad," Piccolo remarked impressed by the strength and vigour of his peer, who fought on, more out of grief and rage than out of cunning or caring for form, though he lost none of his Martial Artist form and grace, no it was only enhanced by his grief and passion.

"Just look at him go," Krillin breathed, in awe of his friend.

_'Nappa, why humour him so? I don't get it,'_ The female Saiyan thought as impressed and fascinated by this exchange as they were, though for different reasons.

But someone wasn't awestruck by Tien's determination, someone wasn't staring engrossed in thought, or smirking down upon the human as the Saiyan was. That someone was poor Gohan, who once again had opened his mouth wide enough for entire hives to fly in, as he stared in fear once more.

He could see, and was the first to see out of Earth's protectors the inevitable, he knew that Tien would fall then. It was inevitable since he lost his arm, and much as he was fighting on, the Saiyan warrior wasn't even trying to do anything other than entertain and humour the human fighter.

It scared him and kept him from budging an inch. He didn't want to lose the kind, soft-spoken yet gentle Tien. The one who had starred in as many stories it seemed as Yamcha and Krillin, the one whom Goku always told him was an inspiration, both as a man and as a Martial Artist. Though his daddy would tell him Krillin was the bravest man around, or Yamcha one of the toughest, it was Tien who was always mentioned as the gentlest (outside Chi-Chi and Ox-King of course) and the most honourable.

A big brother of sorts to Goku, much as Yamcha was, with Tien he was the responsible oldest brother where Yamcha was the fun and teasing middle one. They were family. Therefore, in that moment, the great giant, the great figure that Tien had cut in Goku's bedtime stories, and his explanations of old honour codes and old battles, of why Tien was so formidable and larger than life. They were all about to end. In blood and anguish, just as the naïve yet lively Chaotzu, or brave and selfless Yamcha had before him.

_'I wish mommy or daddy were here,'_ Gohan thought more grief-stricken than afraid in that instant, as he began to cry, it was a natural reaction for a boy so young and so traumatized. He didn't even consider though looking away, no that would only disgrace noble Tien. And Gohan would not and could never do such a horrible thing.

Vegeta in the meantime snickered a little, _'Glad I never cared for anyone like that, except father. But I'll never suffer such a weakness again.'_

Tien let loose one last battle-cry as he lunged forward, fist slamming into a nearby gargantuan boulder, only to shatter it to pieces as though it were little more than cardboard.

Nappa though had easily stepped aside from the blow, with that same damnable grin on his lips, Tien glowered furiously more towards himself, _'What's with him?! Why is he so damned fast, I'm tapped out and he's not even winded damn him! DAMN HIM!'_

But as he turned to glare at him, and prepare for his next assault, he suddenly felt a blinding storm of agony from his gut, shocked to find himself all but bent over Nappa's knee as he hadn't even seen it move to strike him there, he felt his spittle fly out of his mouth.

He was sent flying, and though it took him a few seconds to recover by the time he landed, he did so on his stump first the tempest of pain would have knocked over or paralyzed or stopped a lesser man, such as Taopeipei or Vegeta, but not Tien. Never him. He barely stooped there for even a split-second, he wouldn't give Nappa the satisfaction as he charged him once more.

This time though, he struck out with one punch then four kicks, and then a single punch all in the time it took to take one breath, as he continued to growl, pant and rage without words almost more beast than man, so transformed and changed by his grief and rage was he.

The storm that was caused by his maelstrom of blows that soon followed after these initial ones, and made the huge male Saiyan back away slowly, began to alter the weather so formidable were they as twisters raced about throwing boulders around as though they were wet paper, the earth shook once more though less due to Nappa and more due to the growing power of Tien.

Though winded, and though he could not have suspected it then, but human spirit energy rises when pushed to the extreme. That is to say, humans could grow in power when training under critical conditions or pushed over the edge, therefore where Tien had begun with a power-level closer to say 2,500 he was now sitting with a total of 3,100 at least, still though this was barely more than half Nappa's power and not enough to secure a win.

* * *

Back at Kame House, Bulma, Roshi and Oolong sat glued to the tv, with Puar still hiccupping from the loss of Yamcha though she had by now cried herself into unconsciousness on a nearby pillow, Ox-King bent over Chi-Chi so as not to trouble the others with his own grief and because he couldn't endure another terrible loss. While Bulma cheered for Tien, hoped for him and prayed for his victory.

"Ooooh, c'mon Tien!" She complained loudly, frustrated at the fact that he couldn't seem to land a single decent hit on the lumbering ox before him, she cheered as he seemed to come close to dealing a good blow to the enemy. "Wow, he's on fire!"

"Yeah, he's tearing it up," The pig agreed, just as awestruck as the inventor was behind them Ox-King winced at their every word, though he couldn't sense what was happening, he knew what the only result could be. If Chaotzu couldn't finish off the alien invader with such a fierce some attack and Yamcha had died in but one attack, then what chance did Tien stand? "Maybe he'll win!" Oolong added eagerly.

"Yes, there's no question that Tien is full of spirit at the moment. But, I'm afraid he's fighting on heart alone," Roshi disagreed heavily, his heart and soul all over the ground of his house as he repressed tears, his voice hoarse at having to bury yet ANOTHER of his surrogate children and friends. "I just hope he could keep this up."

"There it goes again!" Bulma whined frustrated as the tv blinked out then came back, then buzzed off with even more static than ever before, the young woman leaned forward to change the channels only to sigh in growing exasperation. "And it's doing the same thing on every channel"

* * *

"Yeeeaaah, we're having real problems over here Chief, we're not picking up anything," Jerry reported from his seat in the news-van where he sat before the dozen monitors still, fighting to recapture the view of the battle and break through the static electricity that was wrecking their equipment and making it impossible to record the titanic clash happening out there. "What's going on out there anyway?"

Outside, one of the news-teams that had slightly more balls than brains, stumbled forward through the dusty winds to try and capture more shots of the battle, struggled in vain to advance closer without being detected. As one of them complained loudly, "Hey! How are we supposed to work in this storm?"

"We better be getting overtime pay for this," Mike complained as he was nearly thrown off his feet.

* * *

Tien struck out with his right fist, then his left leg, then again with his fist only to pause. He was out of breath, and out of energy. Panting, he stood there all but defenceless, drained of all he had, he had never felt so heavy, tired and weak in all his life.

Nappa chortled at his expense again, "Hehehe, so did you wear yourself out yet? Or do you want to try some more, before I stomp ya?"

He got his answer a second later, when Tien screamed out and tried a few more high kicks no matter how ineffectual they had previously proven, as he then tried a swift jab all of which were as was becoming typical; blocked.

He got another ten strikes at the giant, before Nappa let him know he was tired of playing around, as he delivered a swift blow with his right fist to the face that stole the very breath from the young man, almost as much as his first view of Launch had, and then it was followed by Nappa gathering his fists together up above his head only to slam them down with enough force to shatter a planet.

But what did this do to Tien? It sent him crashing down to the ground, but didn't even make him pause before he began to struggle back to his knees, then to his feet. All in order to continue the battle.

"Amazing, how could he get up after all of that?" Krillin asked himself, startled and amazed at how much will and strength his friend possessed, only to grind his teeth and steel himself. Enough with standing on the sidelines doing nothing, he wanted to help, he needed to help. "That's it! I'm going in."

"Krillin wait." Piccolo said startling him, having taken the time to analyze Nappa, he had seen how he moved during the fight, having done so with the keenness and intellect that had made him the greatest Martial Artist in almost all of Earth's history, he informed his comrade-in-arms of his findings. "He's going to start attacking Tien and when he does that's when he'll have an unguarded moment; that's when we strike."

Krillin stared back at the composed and disciplined face of Piccolo in disbelief, wondering briefly how he could be so cold. But then, he saw how the taller man was biting his lower lip, he could see then the plan was not one Piccolo would ordinarily approve of, however it was their only chance. It was cold, it was wrong, and it was unheroic, and yet it was what they needed to do; preservere in order to put a stop to this battle.

The green Demon didn't blink as he waited for the split second to intervened. Krillin kept an eye on his ally, before he moved his gaze towards the enemy, ready to follow his lead to pounce on the seemingly unsuspecting oversized opponent.

He nodded to the Namekian fighter pulled all but from Earth's worst nightmares and greatest legends. He soon informed Krillin of what he had in mind, with the shorter fighter hesitating but for a few seconds before, he nodded his head in response.

Piccolo though had a plan, and a thorough one. He may have been outmatched physically but he'd never allow himself to be outclassed mentally, he turned his eyes and attention to Gohan now that he had Krillin to rely upon for his plan to save Tien. "Alright, good. Did you get that Gohan?"

"Uh-huh," Gohan mumbled through his tight lips, eyes bulging out and though red, no longer shedding a steady stream of tears, his nose was still leaking though despite his best efforts.

"That's a good plan," Vegeta praised gleefully, as he openly hoped it would work, it would put the moustachioed Saiyan back in his place and teach him not to get ideas above his station, first class Saiyan his tail. Nappa was a second class, born to that station and would just as Radditz died a third class, remain so until he died. "Nappa's too strong to fight head-on, don't take your eyes off him. You'll miss your opportunity."

Piccolo at first gaped, frightened of the intellect and observation of this other Saiyan, fearful that his carefully wrought plan would end in failure, he needn't have worried. Seeing the obvious glee, the joy with which Vegeta greeted his plan, and the sheer arrogance, he had a moment of realization, _'We could defeat the short one. Such a plan even half of it, would work on him regardless of strength, so the biggest stumbling block right now is the big guy.'_

Just in case though, he glanced at the other one, the female who stood at 5'6 feet, and was currently still seated on the boulder, all but in a trance as she stared at Tien, in what seemed to be awe.

The eyes of the pointy-haired leader of the trio met those of the thirty-four year old royal, with the Namek/Demon smirking back, it was petty of him and it was just a small victory in a day full of so few of those, but it was also a clever usage of the Wolf School's tactic of undermining an enemy's confidence so as to convince them to defeat themselves mentally, but it was all he had on hand against this short shit behind him. "Confident huh? Well you just wait until Goku makes it back, we'll see if you're still so cocky."

It did the trick, as Vegeta appeared to be positively shaken, by the menace in his voice he blinked for a second, licked his lips and regained his composure a second later, with a petulance to his voice that strongly reminded the Namek of an overly spoiled child, he snapped then, a hint of the thick-headedness that so characterized him in his voice. "Oohh? Interesting. Who's Goku? Is he really that strong?"

_'You really didn't pay any attention to that conversation Radditz and I had, did you?'_ Piccolo thought pleased and amused in spite of himself. This was good, the bigger one was obviously smarter, while this guy seemed to have an extremely selective memory.

Just as he had done over many millennia, to many petty fools and bumblers who had dared to challenge him before, Piccolo snickered and cackled at Vegeta. He was no different in some ways than all the other foolish, vain and stupid challengers before Mutaito, then later on Goku were.

He knew Vegeta could kill him physically, it was pointless to deny it. But what stopped him, was his own stupidity and arrogance, the young man before him was unable to understand that all he had to do, was place his Scouter back onto his ear, listen to the recording from a year before and he'd have his answer. Piccolo knew this, he hadn't forgotten it, as it had haunted his nightmares for a year, and was the reason for this current one he was living through.

_'Radditz was far more cunning than him,'_ Piccolo mused wondering if the lower the Saiyan in rank, the smarter they were and the higher the position the stupider, if that was the case it explained why Goku was a genius in terms of I.Q.

"You'll find out soon," He promised the shorter man, a hint of cockiness in his own voice that had not previously been there. _'We just need to survive the next two Saiyans, and we're all but home-free, what luck.'_

Nappa though, had in the meantime grown frustrated by Tien's refusal to stay down and die. The guy was relentless, and whether he liked it or not, even Nappa had to recognise if only to himself that Tien was growing in some ways more vicious, even if he was also growing steadily weaker. His body and ki should have given out long ago, but they had been pushed further and further along, by the demands of his spirit.

This had gone on long enough, in his view. He had humoured him more out of respect, taunted him yes, but also genuinely given this Tien guy a chance, the man had deserved that much he thought. By now though, he was beyond frustrated and growing a little nervous as he gave out his own battle cry, hand raised to jab back at the human, with all his strength. This time the blow would be much more final, than all those which had preceded it.

He struck with all his might at Tien's midsection, causing bones to break, spittle to fly and Tien to give out a strangled cry as he was driven up by the sheer force of the punch to his gut/midsection. To say Tien flew was to understate what happened, as he was suddenly seen crashing into the mountain far behind him, only to fall to the earth with a cry of pure agony.

"Let's go guys!" Krillin yelled to his friends, unable to take another second, screw plans if they didn't act now Tien would die.

"Hold on Krillin, just a few more seconds," Piccolo pleaded his voice shaking as well, while Gohan backed away terrified._ 'This has to be timed just right, we've only got one shot at this.'_

"What's wrong? Oh, wait don't tell me," Nappa taunted his broken foe at his feet, completely unaware of the scheme that Piccolo had concocted with Vegeta's eager encouragement. "I think I know what you need." He stated as he took flight, in preparation to gather momentum for his next attack not realizing that he was playing into his enemies' hands, "A nice trip to the afterlife. One way of course, hehehe. READYYYY?"

He charged downwards at full-speed, a cry escaping his lips as he did so, off to the side though this was just the moment that Piccolo had been waiting and biding his time so impatiently for. "Gohan wait, Krillin let's go!"

"Right!" Krillin answered relieved that it was finally time to act, and to save his courageous friend.

Neither of them noticed Gohan gasping and staring in terror at Nappa, or how Callion had finally shaken herself out of her trance only to blink and glance over at the Namek and the cue-ball, curiously. _'What are they up to? Some futile attempt to stop Nappa? Yeah, right as if that'll ever work.'_

The two Earthlings vanished, as the unfocused Gohan searched about for them in a panic, when he noticed them gone.

Tien gritted his teeth, struggled to pick himself up only to fail, all energy having long since gone out of him, he needed to get up, to fight. For Chaotzu. But he couldn't even move a muscle it felt, yet somehow, against even his own expectations he managed to press his right hand against the ground, to try and push himself up, only to fail. Nappa cackled mockingly when he saw this, yeah this human was cooked, he was done for.

_'I'm sorry I failed you Chaotzu…'_

_'Goodbye, you put up a great fight, I'll be sure to mention you in a few of my bar-stories, yeah definitely gonna mention you in the future,'_ Nappa thought to himself, he had been impressed by this human, he had fought with more honour and passion than anyone Nappa had almost seen fight in all his life. And he was sure, if the positions were reversed, he knew he'd lose it if anything were to happen to Vegeta, he may not have been his blood, but he did love him.

It wasn't Tien's time though, not unless Piccolo had something to say about it, as he appeared from out of nowhere, claws ready as he startled Nappa who just barely caught sight of him from the corner of his eyes. _'Where did he come from?'_

"What?" Tien questioned even more surprised, to be quite frank he had forgotten all about his friends, in his passion to avenge Chaotzu.

The Demon King held nothing back when he struck out at Nappa with all of his strength, his claws tearing at the skin of Nappa's cheek as though it were nothing, his blow was so ferocious, so strong that it sent Nappa from a downward's flight into a sideways one. His eyes wide with shock and pain, as he flew through the air towards the second greatest of the Z-Senshi present.

"Uaaah iyyyaaaa!" Krillin cried out, as he balled his fists together as Nappa had previously done to Tien, and struck him down the cry of agony he drew from the Saiyan for his blow to the back of the man's skull were music to the human's ears. _'That one was for you guys, Yamcha, Chaotzu.'_

"It's now or never, Gohan!" Piccolo yelled out to his apprentice, eyes finally going to the frightened and sensitive child far below him, "FIRE!"

Gohan though wasn't listening, all he could see were Nappa's eyes, his hate, his monstrous girth and muscles. He was so big, so cruel and so powerful, and so fear-inspiring that the boy couldn't help but freeze up.

_'I want mommy,'_ he thought to himself, memories of the warmth, strength and protectiveness of Chi-Chi's kind embrace always set him at ease, she would sing to him he remembered, she had a great singing voice, one that soothed him that reminded him that all bad things were merely nightmares and that she'd always shield him from all harm in the universe. Yet in that instant, he was glad she wasn't there, else Nappa would kill her too, or so he believed.

Piccolo stared down at him venomously, not used to his orders being defied especially from the little camper who usually met his orders with smiles, warmth and a thirst for his approval that somehow touched even his hardened and gruff soul. If he hoped to scare Gohan back into action, he failed as all he did was worsen the shaking, the fear and forced the poor child further into his shell of fear and anxiety.

"I-I c-can't…" Gohan said brokenly in a small voice.

"GOHAN!"

"NOW GOHAN!" Krillin pleaded, hopeful that the boy would listen to him if not Piccolo, he needed the child then, he had to have a bit of the toughness of Chi-Chi and Goku in him somewhere. They were two of the finest warriors to ever walk the earth, why they could both beat Roshi and Korin, yet the boy just stood there trembling.

Those few seconds of hesitation on Gohan's part though were all that Nappa needed to recover from the pain, of their attacks. Opening his eyes as his throbbing skull ceased throbbing, Gohan seeing this gasped and whimpered, "I-I'm s-scared!"

The deaths of his friends, flashed through his mind; such as how Yamcha had been blasted into the ground, or how Chaotzu had blown himself up. Then there was how Tien had lost his left and primary arm.

As his lips quivered, tears of terror filled his eyes, as he reacted more out of instinct than out of any other emotion. With one last scream, he turned and ran to hide behind a nearby mountain, breaking the link of gazes between him and Nappa's dark gaze.

"No, Gohan!" Piccolo screamed in despair after him, frustration boiling up inside of him.

"Oh, no," Krillin yelped as he realized with a wave of guilt that Gohan could not be relied upon, and what was worse he had been the one to toss Nappa towards the boy,_ 'If something happens to him, Chi-Chi and Goku won't have to kill me, 'cause I'll do it myself!'_

It was done in the time it took to break the sound barrier if anyone could even so much, as properly consider that time elapsed as both Piccolo and Krillin charged up their ki for two mighty blasts. A swift Kamehameha and a Special Beam Cannon from both hands of the Namek, with the energy blasts sent flying straight down towards the Saiyan.

Nappa demonstrated once more why he was such a force to be reckoned with, as he flew out of the way of the two blasts which crashed somewhere off in the distance, off in the desert with a series of explosions that rocked the land for kilometers, with the Kamehameha landing a little too close to Gohan for comfort, whilst the Special Beam Cannon landed a short distance from Callion who smirked to herself in relief that it had missed Nappa without really giving any sign of concern for herself.

"Great, dodged it," Krillin complained sarcastically, glancing up as his foe flew overhead, "There goes our element of surprise."

Wiping at his blood-soaked high cheek-bone with a darkly amused grin on his lips, Nappa gave them all an approving set of looks which almost daunted Krillin and Gohan more than if he had glowered at them.

"S-sorry guys, I just… froze…" Gohan whimpered pathetically from the side, eyes glued to his friends whom he knew, he had just let down, he tried he truly did try to suppress his tears, but they wouldn't stop. His daddy and mommy wouldn't have disappointed everyone, but he did, somehow that just made him sob even more.

_'He looks so tiny, where in that minisculic body does he hide more power than Radditz, or heck anyone's ever had at that age?'_ Callion asked herself once more fixated on the child, as she decided to do another reading, still the same and yet the boy was still so small. _'Doesn't he enjoy fighting? If not, then how did he get so strong? Simple instincts? There's something we don't know, about him and I hate it.'_

"I'll give you some credit for that one, it was a good move," Nappa praised, sounding as though they were discussing chess moves and not an attempt to kill him, still unaware that his surrogate son, had given his blessings to it. "You two almost had me there, for a second. Almost. Too bad for you, your little trick didn't work."

Then the sportsman act fell away, as Nappa's true feelings boiled over to the surface, the anger, the outrage at these insects harming him as he shouted at them in a fiery fury, "Now you're going to die!"

Krillin and Piccolo stood ready physically, as best and as much as anyone could when faced with certain death, and yet their eyes showed their own true sentiments; their all-consuming fear. With the former rearing back his right-arm some distance behind his head while the other hand was balled up into a fist with the arm pulled back so that the fist was before his lower jaw, body tense.

As to the latter, he pulled his own right-hand behind him a shorter distance behind him than Krillin, and instead of moving it to behind his head, it was just below his jaw with the claws pointed towards the enemy. His left hand thrown forward a short distance before him, claws in the same position, as his body shook, and his eyes glared with all that he had left in him at the enemy.

Over on the ground Tien gasped and bled from his injuries, he was dying though he didn't fully realize it on a conscious level, at once. His bleeding arm was sure to get infected at this rate, and was only growing worse by the minute, with his broken ribs, fractured hips and crotch, as well as cracked spleen and spine, it was a wonder he was even conscious let alone mentally coherent.

"Chaotzu," He murmured before he lost consciousness, broken and defeated at long last if only for the moment.

* * *

Kami stared down at the ground, helpless and furious at his own weakness but with quiet acceptance of one thing, one simple fact that none could argue and that he knew was now inevitable. He spoke to his adoptive son, his confidante and best friend, Mr. Popo, his voice steadier than his heart was in that moment. "I sense that the end of my life is drawing near, Mr. Popo. I'm afraid that I have little time left in this world."

He didn't fear death, no he'd almost embrace for all the ill his other halves had wrought upon his poor, beloved adoptive home-world, how he loved it so. And yet he could not die yet, not until he had ensured her safety, he would not fail her again, never again. He would do what he had to, to safeguard her.

"But Kami, that means-" Popo stuttered brokenly, mind racing to keep up and put together the implications his mentor had fed him, his heart shattering almost more than what Tien's had far below on the surface of the planet.

"Piccolo, is going to die." Kami stated firmly, with no fear or doubt in his voice or heart at the knowledge of this fact. The dark skinned mystic next to him gasped, yet the three-thousand years old Guardian of the Earth was not finished, "And I will fade from this world, along with him."

"Wh-what about Goku?" Popo demanded voice shaking, as he quavered where he stood unable to imagine his life without Kami, without his gentleness, his compassion and his sheer wisdom. What would any of them do, without the great Guardian, the first to never use his abilities to oppress and torment humanity and the planet, but to soothe them, to encourage them and guide them towards a better tomorrow. The first to inspire not hate or fear when the name Kami was uttered, but love, adoration and awe. "He could still save you."

But Kami would have none of his pupil's false hopes, as he retorted grimly his stooped and elderly figure looking even more stooped and old then, "I can't sense him approaching yet."

He blinked and drew himself together, eyes scanning the skies up above, "But you're right my friend, he's the only one who can."_ 'But not for my sake, but for humanity and the earth's if for no other reason.'_

* * *

Back on the battlefield, Nappa cackled, while Tien lost consciousness and Gohan his will to act, with none of these details going unnoticed by him, "Your little band just keeps on getting smaller. Looks like, it's down to just the two of ya now."

Krillin reluctantly nodded his head, and through gritted teeth whispered to Piccolo, "He's right you know."

Piccolo grunted in frustration, only to glare with all the venom and fury he could summon down at the quivering five-years old far below him who stared up with a teary gaze. How dare that little piece of-how dare he defy his express orders and show his face here again, did he have no back-bone? It made him sick, and what made him even sicker was how relieved he was to see that the boy was still unharmed from all the explosions and from this beast of an enemy before him.

He hated those softer, maudlin feelings and suppressed them with all he had, he was the Demon King, the most fearsome being to ever walk the Earth and yet here he was, sighing in relief at an infant's survival? He wouldn't accept it! He couldn't at a time like this!

"Gohan!" He growled furiously, having regained control of himself, fury lighting up his eyes as he shook with the force of his emotion.

Enjoying the show, Vegeta snickered to himself arms still cross and eyes dancing with mirth. He loved seeing people suffer, yet none more so than children or their parents or relations as they watched their child die, though in this case to have the child watch the parents die was actually equally satisfying to him._ 'Normally, I slaughter the parents first, if only to break the infant, myself rather than watching it from the sidelines, but this is rather satisfying also, in its own way.'_

"Alright! Whaddya say we get down to business?" Nappa asked of his foes, as the lethal joy returned to his voice, which drew scowls from them. "Who's next?"

"Nappa! We still need the Namek to tell us about the Dragonballs!" Vegeta shouted angrily, unable to tolerate even a threat to him right now, not when the prince was focused on the Namek.

"Hey stupid, the humans know about it too," Callion shouted over to him, raising her hand to carry her voice over to him.

"What did you say? Did I ask you? No? So shut the hell up!" Vegeta snapped only to ignore her words, "And what would you know about it?"

"Fine, never mind, I'll stop trying to keep you from wasting your time." Callion shot back impatiently, did the guy even listen to his own damn ears or did he just hear what he wanted? _'Probably the latter, damn I wish Dodoria or Recoome were here, they could at least think a lot more than this dweeb.'_

"Oh, yeah I almost forgot," Nappa said with that same murderous joy in his voice, as he continued to humour Vegeta. He had heard Callion, just as he had also overheard the humans but he had to at least humour the prince. He knew with one glance though, the Namek would never talk, whatever, it made no difference to him, "Looks like you're up little man."

"Heh, you hear that Piccolo? You're in luck, maybe I should tell them I know all about the Dragonballs too," Krillin commented loudly, a hint of his ever-present mischief in his voice with Nappa hearing him but aware of something the human wasn't.

_'Sorry, Vegeta's fickle if he thinks only the Namek knows, you could have created them and he'd still be fixated on the Namek,' _Nappa thought to himself with an amused smirk, he liked the little shrimp, you should have a sense of humour at all times, life was too serious, brutish and short not to laugh at the small things or even the big things for that matter.

"Be my guest, but I don't think it'll make much difference in the end," Piccolo told his friend coldly, as he stared down Nappa, he had also overheard Callion's comment and subsequent dismissal. That Vegeta guy was hooked on the idea of only him knowing anything,_ 'Race and eugenics seem to be the only thing he thinks matters, he'd get on great with that old Red Ribbon Army founder, Commander Red that's for sure.'_

"Point taken," Krillin gritted out in frustration, irritated that his little joke had only made Piccolo even more distant and cold than ever before.

"Now, let's try a direct attack before he powers up again," Piccolo ordered having noticed the pattern with which Nappa powered himself up, it was steady like a heart-beat and was not something he cared to let the enemy have a chance to do again.

"Huh?"

"You are familiar with the multi-form technique, aren't you?" Piccolo demanded fists shaking, as his whole being down to his soul trembled in concentration. It was a painful move, which split everything the wielder had into three or more, and yet it could prove valuable in battle. It was also a trademark of the Crane School of Martial Arts.

"Yeah," Krillin confirmed remembering how he had had a devil of a time mastering it in the first few weeks of training with Kami, in truth he hated the move because he hated how painful it felt.

"Let's try it… Both of us." The Demon grunted his voice leonine as he growled at the torment and sheer weight of the move, which soon weighed upon his very being as he felt himself physically tear, rip and otherwise be shorn into three.

Krillin let out a small murmur of pain, as he two did it, just as swiftly as his friend, all three of each of them could think independently and worked in perfect unison together. There was only one glaring hole in the technique in that it separate all of the wielder's energy into three. Great for training, but not always great for combat, but this was a do-or-die situation.

Nappa stared, he had never seen a move like this before, suddenly they were no longer mice to be played with but tigers to be wrestled down. He knew this could spell trouble as a three-on-one advantage could turn the tide of battle in any situation. _'Where are these guys getting these moves?'_

Further down, Vegeta sneered once more at all of them, his former tutor and nanny included, "Amateurs."

"Ready?" Piccolo shouted to each of the Krillins and his own other selves.

"Yeah!" Was the resounding reply, right before they all bounded into action straight for the offending Saiyan, who floated there just getting over his shock at seeing his foes separate into three of each.

On his face, as they all jabbed, clawed, punched, kicked, headbutted and otherwise tried every move in the Demon, Kami, Turtle, Wolf and Crane Schools of Martial Arts, Nappa parried each of their attacks struggling to keep them from gaining too much of an advantage. _'Six mangy dogs can kill a man'_ Was the only thought that he had time to allow to course through his mind, as he dodged, weaved and parried each of their attacks.

He hoped the kid and the one-armed tri-clops stayed out of this, because if either of them joined in, who knew if he'd be in trouble. Yet somehow, he stayed one step ahead of them, no matter how many punches or kicks they threw at him, narrowly dodged or blocking this blow or that one, careful to avoid the killer fangs or claws of Piccolo or the powerful punches and kicks or knees of Krillin.

With a smirk though, as all six of them paused momentarily before resuming the assault he gathered his breath and powered up the ki in his primary arm (his right one), he charged forward to strike down one Krillin, then punched another, and then the last one all of whom crashed down to the earth in a broken heap.

Piccolo stared down at him, trembling as he looked up to meet the gaze of the invader as he knew what was coming. He barely managed to raise his arms to block three steady fully charged punches, before he was socked in the jaw, only for his other two selves to rush to support and for one to be kicked away, and the other struck down with a lethal and meaty left-hook to the jaw.

The multi-form technique for both Piccolo and Krillin fell apart, leaving them as the only ones of their selves again.

Gohan though had seen enough, as he had stared up in terror as his uncle and mentor were both struck down, and fell into a set of broken, unconscious heaps on the ground he finally gathered enough courage to move from his safe hiding spot, in order to move. Motivated more by impulsive love than by any real plan, he easily leapt over the hole in the ground and was by Piccolo's side in an instant as he cried out to him.

"Piccolo!" When he finally arrived, he repeated his friend's name in a quieter more concerned voice, only to be struck aside by a furious Piccolo and slammed off the boulder he was thrown against and onto the ground. Piccolo knew, and Gohan did as well though unconsciously that such a blow was little more than a love-tap to him, he was much to strong for such a thing to ever physically threaten him, but it was the blow and the coldness behind it that caused Gohan's eyes to tear up, "Piccolo, I'm sor-"

"I have no time to baby-sit Gohan, if you can't fight, go home to your mother," Piccolo growled at him, back on his feet with his body turned deliberately and coldly to his pupil. He shoved his concern for the boy, his feelings for him aside even as part of him hoped the boy would heed his advice and leave, in hindsight this was no place for a child. What was he thinking, to have brought him here? Especially with the female all but devouring him with her eyes, the royal prig of one snickering like a snotty-five years old and the behemoth up above slaughtering them quickly and methodically one-by-one. As he took flight once more, he called out to the only remaining warrior he could count on, "Krillin!"

Krillin hadn't seen him slap Gohan aside, or heard him address Gohan so coldly, else he would have taken the Namek to task over it. As it was, he had just regained a hold of himself as Nappa was not holding back when he had struck him those three times, he was sincerely trying to kill him. _'Lucky me.'_

So focused on the fight were the two of them that neither noticed the hurt puppy eyes Gohan cast in Piccolo's direction, only for him to hear something behind him, wondering if it was maybe one of the Saiyans his heart leapt into his throat, when he heard more rocks tumble over only to hear ragged breath.

It was Tien. Somehow, he had made it, from the heap he had fallen onto all that distance away further east of where they currently were, to end up behind Gohan. His back to the boy whom he didn't notice, as he tried to crawl back into the fray.

Gohan rushed over to him, hoping if he couldn't help with the fight maybe there was something he could do, or maybe that as an adult Tien would know what to do or have an answer for him. He prayed to Kami that the honourable hero was going to be okay, he'd know what to do, Gohan just knew he would.

_'Man, those two sure can take a beating,'_ Callion thought as she watched the two of them fly off,_ 'Ho-hum, they go back in for another beating and maybe another murder, how droll.'_

She couldn't help it. It was so boring, watching someone else fight like this, and not take it so seriously, if it was her she'd have already blasted them all, then grabbed the pipsqueak and tested his power but eh, whatever this was Nappa's show. Glancing back down to the kid, having lost interest in the fight only to jump, when she saw what Gohan was up to.

She paled as she stared in a mixture of sudden nervousness and astonishment, _'Seriously what's it take to keep that guy down? I've never seen anyone get back up after losing an arm, and yet he not just does that but somehow has half his bones broken or beaten to pulp, then gets up again? Is he immortal or something?'_

"Hey! Mr. Tien! Please, don't be dead!" Gohan pleaded brokenly, crying as he shook the large man with his tiny hands just as Tien lost consciousness again.

Up in the sky though, Krillin spoke up to the self-appointed leader of their gang in Goku's absence with a shaky voice, "Uh-h-h-hey Piccolo if you've got some killer attack up your sleeve feel free to use it anytime now."

"I wish I did," Piccolo stated grimly, to the visible disappointment of the shorter fighter who glanced over his shoulder at him, only to in the end lie to keep his comrade's spirits up, as he well knew the next few words were completely false in nature. "C'mon, it's not entirely hopeless, we still have a chance. This guy's strong but he's not too smart, he might make a mistake."

The lie lay in the part of his remark, which claimed that Nappa wasn't too smart. It was plain to see for anyone with eyes, that Nappa was quite intelligent in a fight, and that he knew how to use his brains in perfect unison with his vast brawns. Not to mention, the man was well-coordinated for his size, and incredibly agile, which left Piccolo himself fairly dispirited. He didn't need Goku's best friend losing faith also, else this battle might well become hopeless-or more so than it already was.

_'What'd you call me?'_ Nappa thought with a mental growl and a scowl at the Namek for the insult to his intelligence.

"Hey, don't tell me you guys are still trying to come up with a plan? Give it up, HA!" He shouted at them just as he began his charge straight for them, his body glowing once more with a bright solar-coloured glow.

This time it was he who went on the offensive, as he punched and kicked, at Krillin and Piccolo who dodged, weaved through the air and parried his attacks instinctively without even needing to think about it thanks to their years of training. Nappa though was not about to give them time to formulate another plan though, as he tackled them and with the force of sheer momentum and muscle forward them back with his arms' muscles pressed against their throats even as he powered up even more and threw them further back.

Initially, unbeknownst to Gohan who continued to as always tremble in the wake of the battle, as a rain of rocks from several of the shattered boulders and mountains of the desert landscape rained down upon him, he heard movement and the quickening of someone's breath.

"Chaotzu," Tien murmured as he fought to stay conscious, to grab onto some sort of leverage to be able to stand firm and fight again.

"T-Tien thank goodness you're alive," Gohan yelped with evident relief in his still watery voice.

Tien didn't hear him though, as he heard a ghostly, spectral voice call out his name, from some great distance, one that was as haunting as it was needed for him to hear then. _"Tien…"_

"Chaotzu," He gasped hallucinating though he didn't realize it, as he reached out for the figure who stood before him, untouched and not the slightest bit in pain.

_"I'm so sorry Tien, I wasn't strong enough…"_ The boy apologized tears in his eyes, and despair in his voice, as his best friend gnashed his teeth together. _"I couldn't save you, I failed."_

"No, Chaotzu," Tien groaned, his body shuddering with pain, as the vision/hallucination faded from view and he began to sob once more, _'Oh, Chaotzu! I'm sorry!'_

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked naively, not knowing what was going on with his friend or why he was suddenly crying, the pain he assumed must have proven too much now. "Umm, Mr. Tien?"

Tien though still didn't hear him, and stood up to his full-imposing height as he glared up at the flying Nappa, it was his own fault but it was also Nappa's as far as he was concerned, he'd make him pay.

_'Launch, I'm so sorry, I promised Chaotzu and I would come back, and I failed you… find yourself someone better, a worthier man for you because I came into this battle unprepared and not brave or good enough… forgive me…' _These thoughts ghosted through his mind, as he felt a terrible calm settle over him, the certainty that he'd die here today, and much as he wished to see his Launch again, the beautiful girl who had devoted her life to him, the girl who he remembered so vividly.

The girl whom he remembered had tried to take care of him and Chaotzu, as best she could, and whom along with Chaotzu had made his life complete and given him the best days of his life in these past beautiful five years (not counting the past one, where he had spent half of it under Kami's tutelage). They were the best of his life, with pale young Chaotzu and blonde-haired Launch, wait blonde-haired? Oh, never mind, he didn't have anymore time before him, what use was it to question which Launch he thought of, which he felt his heart long for with such a strong pang of longing and passion for?

His life flashed then before his eyes as he stared as the battle raged, of his younger days, growing up in the woods alongside Chaotzu, a pupil of the Crane School. How they'd play games, then later how they trained so hard, of the day he'd first met the wise Roshi he grew to admire so much.

Clever Bulma who had welcomed him so quickly and warmly, Yamcha who was the best brother a man could ask for, Krillin always so eager to make everyone smile, Goku with his incredible, yet gentle wisdom. Oh, how Launch had stolen his very breath, she had stolen his heart back when one couldn't be sure he even had one. And how she looked after and so quickly welcomed Chaotzu and always included him, had moved and warmed his heart even more. He even remembered the dopey and surprised look the boy gave him when he saw how mesmerized Tien was with Launch, or still later how it amused the boy to see the man stutter and shy away from over affection with the blonde.

Then there was later, when Chaotzu had died for the first time, at the hands of King Piccolo, the rage he'd felt then was a tiny ember compared to the raging inferno that beat in his heart now. The relief he'd felt when he'd seen his best friend come out of that pod on Kame/Turtle island, looking okay, after the fierce battle against Piccolo, it was enough to cause him to openly cry for the first time in his life then.

_"Tien, are we almost there?"_ Chaotzu had shouted every few minutes when they had been climbing still later, after Goku's shadow under Korin's Tower.

And the answer every time was a breathless, _"Yeah, we'll see Kami soon."_

All of that was over, all of it. All in one final and terrible explosion, the worst moment of Tien's whole life.

"Chaotzu," He sighed as he shut his eyes, consumed by pain of a worst kind than any physical pain could ever be, he could see up there though that Nappa had the edge over his friends. He had already let down Chaotzu, and he wasn't about to let his other comrades down, this was it, "No Chaotzu, I'm sorry, I'm the one who failed you. I should have protected you, but I promise you; gonna make it up to you."

In his maddened state, he didn't notice the worried look Gohan was shooting him from behind, the confused one of Vegeta who had just to say finally taken notice of him, and the awed if uncertain one of Callion.

The rage that swirled inside of him, began to take form, the love gave it shape and his life-energy gave it even more power and reason to exist as he began to focus all that he had ever had in him into his hand. The earth trembled all but in protest beneath his feet as he began to glow a golden colour then, baring his teeth at his hand, he swore to his friend, "I'll be with you again, soon… Chaotzu!"

The blast was ready, waiting only to be unleashed upon the filthy murderer who had taken his friends from him, throwing his arm up into the air as he imagined his other hand in the opposite position for the Kikoho or Tri-Beam Blast that he was about to use to kill Nappa.

"Watch it Nappa! He's operating at 3,650!" Callion shouted up at him, but her cry of warning as her Scouter went off the charts, was blotted out by the sound of the explosion and the sound of Tien's own cry.

The blast cut through the air, straight at Nappa who had just forced back Krillin and Piccolo once more, both of them needing to catch their breaths again, while the Saiyan smirked only to hear two voices cry out.

"Wha-what power!" Vegeta gasped terrified, as he stared up at the giant explosion, unable to believe his eyes as the explosion rocked the entire landscape.

* * *

Over at Kame House, the tv screen was filled with light, as it blinded most watching, save for Roshi thanks to his ever-present shades, as the news reporters were thrown back, and had to readjust the camera in order to regain a view of the battlefield.

"Wow, he did it!" Roshi gasped awed by that attack that surely, must have at long last slain the cruel warrior.

* * *

Tien shuddered in pain, the last of his life starting to bleed out from him, but he needed to see, needed to know that he'd put Chaotzu's murderer into his grave. Chaotzu's memory deserved at least that much.

The smoke dissipated then blew away, into the wind as Nappa's hands could be seen raised in a defensive gesture, having formed a kind of ki-shield or barrier between him and the blast, and whilst it had taken the brunt of the attack a small sliver had punched through enough to blast sections of his armour and shoulder pauldrons to pieces.

The barrier had weakened the blast enough though, so that he could survive the devastating attack, something Nappa was more than conscious of, and was grateful to have learned twenty-three years ago, "W-woah that was a close one."

Krillin stared in horror and fear, as he trembled, behind him Piccolo did much the same, "Th-there's no way!"

Piccolo's composure was likewise in pieces, "I-I kn-know! This is insane!"

Tien shuddered, panted and struggled to keep fighting, if he could just keep fighting he'd be able to throw another blast such as that one up at Nappa, he just needed one last chance, one last shot. But he knew better, his body did too. He was dying, and he had no more life energy left to tap, his disappointment knew no bounds. It could have filled all the seas of the ocean, so deep and vast was it.

"N-noo! I failed… again." And so he fell, at long last dead in a heated conflict that should never have been, and wouldn't have been, had Vegeta simply asked a few questions instead of pushing for violence and death and destruction. But such was ever the result of his actions; tragedy was wrought, and innocent or noble souls perished, without it ever making a difference to him.

Gohan shuddered sobs began to wrack his body once more, with Vegeta giggling spitefully, "Too bad, it probably would have worked if Nappa hadn't seen it coming at the last second."

"Oh, no poor Tien, he gave everything-everything he had to help us." Krillin moaned as he felt the life-force drain from his friend, yet another life lost in this pointless conflict. The moan of grief became an enraged scream, "GOKKUUUU! WHERE ARE YOU?! WE NEED YOU! WHY AREN'T YOU HEEREEE!? GOKUUUU!"

Yet there was no answer, and though Krillin didn't know it yet but some of his cry of grief had made its way over to Spirit World where Goku was racing as fast as he could with all that he had to get there in time, unaware of what was going on, only that his most treasured loved ones needed him.

* * *

"Our brave news team has been reporting live on location, throughout this entire ordeal, though unknown technical difficulties beyond our control have repeatedly interrupted our broadcasts." The news-reporter was announcing stupidly, evidently not the brightest hick to ever get his job, his voice booming throughout the empty and highly darkened bar. "We can only assume that the fighting is still taking place and that these strange displays of power far beyond that of human condition are behind the abrupt changes in our planet."

_"Don't follow Launch, you'll only get in the way, I don't want you to get hurt,"_ Tien had told her, when she had tried to follow him to the battlefield eager to support and help him in person for this cataclysmic battle for the Earth's safety. This had been his last words also after a heated argument, wherein she had tried to force him to take her along, which was why she felt so dispirited and angry at the moment. She hated arguing with him.

"Well I guess, we'll never figure out what's going on out there," The barkeep stated when the reporter announced that world-leaders around the globe were discussing the situation as they spoke. He then noticed, what seemed to be one last customer, a beautiful young blonde-haired woman draped over his bar, "Ey! Go sleep it off at home blondie."

Launch raised her head to glower at him, "Can it jerk," She hissed in her heavily accented voice only to raise her arm in order to extend her glass to him, "Fill 'er up."

"Uaaggh!" The bartender gasped pulling back from her, and the stench of liquor wafting off of her like perfume, "That'll be your tenth!" He pressed a hand on his hip as he thought of something that was sure to deter and rid him of this frightening drunk, "You got money?"

He asked, so he received a backpack full of stacked and rolled together hundred-zeni bills, he gaped with wide eyes having never seen so much cash before in his entire life.

"The whole world's going down the toilet, which means all tha' cash is useless anyway," She slurred heartbroken, eyes teary and watering, as she remembered Tien and Chaotzu's departures for the millionth time._ 'Oh, Tien you bastard, you shoulda' taken me with ya, why? Why didn't ya at least sit this one out? I needed ya more than they did.'_

Her glass began to tremble, with softened eyes the bartender considered this girl, he remembered all that his parents had told him about respect and kindness towards women, and suddenly he felt a bite of guilt clamp into his chest. Slightly more softly, he asked, "Hey are you alright?"

Launch let go of the glass on the bar. It continued to shake. And barkeep's eyes went over to the money, as he considered it then rubbed his hands together, she said it was okay right? "Weellll, if you don't want this money anymore I'll just-"

"What's that?" Was heard from Launch.

"What? What's what?"

"What's that sound," Launch clarified as though he were stupid, which she already considered the greedy moron to be. "Listen!"

"Uhhh, that's just static," He said simply and yet soothingly, as though she were some stupid drunkard.

His eyes though bulged out when she shut off the radio and tv a second later with a movement of his hand, Launch's eyes widened twice as much as the earth, the building and everything seemed shook.

Next to them, Launch's glass empty of all booze with only ice left in it, began to crack then slowly splinter only to explode in a flurry of glass, just as booze, the tv, ceiling tiles everything began to fall apart as the house began to collapse in on itself.

Both of them raced out of the building with a cry, as Launch sobered up faster than she ever had in her whole life, her backpack thrown over her shoulder as she ran, instinctively grabbing it without thinking.

Once outside, they stared as the ground trembled, cracked and broke apart as a cataclysmic earthquake shook the landscape apart, shattering buildings while the heavens shook with thunder as a storm began to build up.

"What's going on?" One bystander cried out, filled with fear.

"Look up in the sky!" Another yelled, as a woman nearby screamed at the top of her lungs.

Launch followed the one schmuck's suggestion and gaped up at the heavens, where a whole flock of what looked to be thousands of crows flew in from over the mountains and way overhead of the small village she had made her way into.

"That's freaky, what's wrong with them?" She asked herself, though she already knew the answer; it must have been the battle. Which meant she had to either head there, or head over to someone who'd know what was going on, and much as she hated to even head over to Kame House (she hated that place, hated Roshi and despised Oolong and Turtle) she knew that Bulma would be there (she'd already tried calling Capsule Corp, for a pick-up so as to save up on her own gas), and if anyone would have the answers, it'd be either Chi-Chi or Bulma.

_'Hold on Tien, mama and all her guns are headed over, and as for you Chaotzu you better keep my Tien from doing something stupid…'_

* * *

"Who is this Goku? Interesting." Vegeta mumbled to himself still confused, he thought he had heard it before, where was this now? Oh yes, a few minutes ago, really that long ago? That's it, it was a few minutes ago when the Namek brought him up. Was he some great warrior? Someone who could challenge Nappa or something? Could it possibly be Kakarot? "Is it?"

The fact that everyone had been telling him Kakarot was Goku, that he had a recording of Radditz calling him Kakarot, and Piccolo calling the same man Goku meant nothing as he finally put together what everyone had already put together a year ago.

Nappa cackled loudly, in a full-belly laugh relieved to still be alive and pleased with himself, "Bwuhahahaha! So much for old three-eyes, now then where were we?"

"Krillin, it looks like we're gonna have to finish this on the ground," Piccolo decided having spent the past battle wavering over this possibility and while everyone was busy either mourning or recovering from the shock Tien gave them, he had been busy mentally analyzing the whole battle. "He seems to have a greater advantage in the air"

"Gotcha," Krillin assented having just realized the same now that Piccolo pointed it out.

"Hehehehahaha, fools it doesn't matter where you go, I'll crush ya." Nappa taunted them confidently, aware of his own advantage over them. Krillin and Piccolo took this as a sign, it was time to return to the ground and resume the battle there.

But Nappa was for once unwilling to fight fairly, and simply waited for the Earthlings to return to the ground in order to pounce having tricked them into believing this to be a fair fight, he flew down towards them, a smirk and cackle on his lips.

_'Oh no, not again,'_ Gohan whimpered mentaly as he covered his head with his hands in preparation for what was to come, while Krillin and Piccolo gaped in shock not just as the speed with which the Saiyan moved but at their own stupidity.

But they were in luck, as an angry petulant scream was heard, "NAPPA! STOP RIGHT THERE!" It was Vegeta, ordering his lackey off of them.

Nappa's battle-cry and charge were interrupted a mere two meters from the Demon and the human. The prince's surrogate father froze where he floated in the same position, he had been in when he stopped, with his right fist raised and his left one near his mid-section in preparation to block or attack, if he needed it to.

_'What now? Does he need to go to the bathroom, and intends to ask Nappa what toilet paper is for?'_ Callion asked herself, with a shake of her head and a smirk of her own.

"I need to ask them something," Vegeta yelled.

"If you need to use the washroom, just go behind a mountain or something." Was heard from the side, as the female taunted her own boss who scowled in response at her.

"If you say so, you're the boss," Nappa replied at once, as dutiful and loyal as ever.

"I'm curious about this Goku, they keep talking about because I'm starting to believe that the person that they're actually referring to, is none other than Kakarot." Vegeta said stupidly, pleased with his own deductive 'reasoning', which caused Nappa to stare at him in amazement.

_'Wait, I thought he already knew, I mean it's right there in the Scouter,'_ Nappa thought gaping at his leader, while Callion fell off her high rock and onto the dirt with a groan.

"He's not freaking serious, is he?" She asked no one in particular, they already knew that, one needed to only pay attention in the middle of climbing up from where she had fallen.

"Yeah, whatever you call him that's right," Krillin confirmed saving Callion and Nappa from having to explain it to the royal reeeeaaal slowly, as they had had to do with the previous mission details for the past few years. Vegeta snickered with all of his body, he then smirked at the human, "What's so funny?"

"That you two think Kakarot can beat us! He couldn't even beat his brother Radditz, and Radditz was a weakling compared to Nappa and myself," Vegeta snapped evenly, showing once again his selective memory, as he remembered details but not everything from the recordings the other two had listened to twice before their arrival on Earth.

_'Wow, so NOW he chooses to remember something, have to hand it to him, he finally made a decent point for the first damn time in his life.'_ Callion exclaimed mentally, with more than a bit of sarcasm, _'Today's just full of freakin' miracles.'_

"Oh wait, he could probably crush Callion, as she's even weaker than Radditz was!" Vegeta continued, as he laughed with Krillin and Piccolo exchanging a confused look.

_'Can't he sense ki? I guess not,'_ Krillin mused as he stared and gaped initially at Vegeta, then at the smarmy female further away. When she had blasted the Saibaman to pieces, she had demonstrated far more than a portion of Radditz's power that was for sure, _'She's a lot stronger than Radditz was.'_

_'What a blundering fool, but he is right; we can't win at this rate,' _Piccolo grudgingly acknowledged, as he too conceded on the matter of their helplessness, though he was like Krillin aware that Callion was far more powerful than this guy seemed to realize.

"Hehe, shows how much you know, he's way stronger than he was before!" Krillin boasted raising a menacing arm at the prince to emphasize his point.

"Just wait, you'll find your match in Goku," Piccolo promised, in agreement with his equally bald peer.

"Hahahahaha, this planet's not that big, so why isn't he here yet?" Nappa sneered as he adjusted his position from a combat-based one. "He's smart, he's not going to show up here, he's hiding."

"Good question, let's try replaying the recording, let's see here," Callion said quietly as she pressed one of the buttons on her trusty Scouter, only to listen to the recording, the last little bit after the battle should have all the info.

"Grrr! Hey you jerk! My dad never ran from anybody," Gohan pipped up from Vegeta's left, furious and red-faced at the implication that his hero and father was a coward, "He'll be here, and he'll beat you, just you wait!"

"You've caught my interest," Vegeta said arrogance getting the better of him, as it always did. "We're going to wait for him, take a break Nappa. Cool off for a while."

"C'mon Vegeta, that's ridiculous! I was about to finish them off here." Nappa growled back, he had never heard of such unmilitary thinking, they had the enemy cornered and at their mercy. Why give them time to regroup and plan a strategy, resentfully he found himself thinking to himself, _'He's not the one risking his neck out here.'_

Vegeta though had made his decision, as untactical as it was and raised three fingers to his subordinate, "Just hold off for three hours."

"That's stupid, but typical. As usual he thinks only of torturing small animals, and those lesser than himself." Callion muttered to herself, as she finished listening to the recording. Why wait? Why not just get it over with?_ 'I should have stepped in when I had the chance. Ugh, now to wait for Vegeta to wait for Kakarot in order to butcher his friends in front of him. What a drag.'_

"We'll give them that much time." His words won him the full might of Nappa's anger as he glowered with bared teeth at the royal.

For years, Nappa had endured Vegeta's needless abuse, he had loved and protected him, yes his love blinded him at times and yet he could not accept such a stupid decision. Why wait? Why give them a chance? They didn't have time for that, if they wanted the Dragonballs, why not just go after them now?

"Forget it, I say they die now!" Nappa growled defiantly, as he startled everyone Saiyans and Earthlings alike, shirking his superior's orders in order to get the job done.

"NAPPA! Do you really want to defy me?" Vegeta roared in a pique of temper, as Nappa came to an immediate stop having just started to resume his flight towards the enemy.

His eyes bulged out, as he stared at the prince, fear filling him from head to toe, and reducing his gut to a puddle, _'Did he just… threaten me? N-no he wouldn't, he's just ticked, maybe I just need to give him this and follow orders a soldier follows orders, no matter what. That's all… right?'_

Callion also stared, this time at Vegeta she too was certain he'd never hurt Nappa, sure he was jealous of the man, but he was practically his father, she had never heard of a Saiyan royal attacking his tutor even if Saiyan society was barbaric and lacking in all goodness or loyalty.

"Um, I'm sorry," Nappa apologized at once, having never heard that tone directed at him, it had been directed at Radditz, and Callion too many times to count but never him (Turles was never on the receiving end, more because of how Vegeta feared him and how he had always stayed one step ahead of the royal). Nappa knew when he'd pushed too far, and this must have been one of those times, "I-I guess I must have gotten carried away."

"The battle will resume in three hours, whether Kakarot is here or not," Vegeta said, attention now on the Earthlings who trembled fearfully and anxiously under that heated gaze, this did much to appease and lighten his mood. Only Piccolo stood undaunted.

The Earthlings regrouped some distance away from the Saiyans, trying to keep them within eye-sight and though the shorter two didn't know it, Piccolo wanted to keep them within ear-shot too.

"Aw c'mon Piccolo," Krillin reproached wearily trying to soothe the Demon King's temper, as he crossed his arms and continued to glare at the crying boy. "You can't really blame him, this is the first time that Gohan's ever been in a real battle." He added with considerable gentleness and honesty, "It's scary enough as it is."

A reasonable man by nature, Krillin was not one to blame an infant for something that was well out of his power, and being innocent and therefore unaccustomed to violence was not something he intended to blame him for. Gohan shouldn't have been there to begin with, to his mind, with the young man unable to repress a surge of guilt for having allowed him to have gotten dragged into this.

Then again, it was a shame any of them had gotten dragged into this, if he could have just gone back in time, he would have suggested that Chaotzu stay out of the battle too. Or maybe even-_'nah I could never talked Yamcha or Tien out of this, dammit Goku where are you?'_

He wasn't resentful towards his best-friend, so much as frustrated, they needed him and yet here he was still conspicuously absent. He swore in that instant mentally, wishing that Goku could already be there. If they could have just gotten a second wish, they could have wished the brilliant fighter there already.

Forcing his mind back to the present, and not needless 'what ifs', Krillin focused on the Namek's response to his attempt to defend Gohan from his harsh words.

"Well I'm more angry at myself for counting on him, what a waste of time," Piccolo grunted harshly back at him, continuing to abuse the poor boy. "Just go home Gohan. If you're not going to fight, then you'll only slow us down."

_'One of these days Piccolo, you'll learn what it means to be hurt emotionally or rejected,'_ Krillin predicted spitefully, feeling sorry for the poor boy as he sobbed himself into a pathetic mess,_ 'Poor Gohan, I wish you didn't have to be here, for your own sake. Oh, Goku I'm so sorry he had to be here, if only he could have been home with Chi-Chi, where he belongs instead of out here.'_

_'Not that it makes much difference,'_ Piccolo thought to himself, as he felt his heart ache and his gut twist itself, as he reflected over his sharp words to the boy. Despair filled him, if strategy and tactics were useless, then what hope did they have? _'Judging by the way the big one takes orders, the smaller Saiyan must be even stronger, which if that's the case I'm not sure if even Goku will be much use against him.'_

As to the Saiyans, with Callion too selfish to make her way over to Vegeta and more interested in replaying the recording of Radditz's last moments one last time, in order to get a good read on Kakarot's voice, name and tactics as best she could. All because it couldn't hurt to be prepared when the time came.

_'The unprepared die, and merit such a fate,'_ was an old saying of Ban's, and one she had subscribed to her whole life, it was also one that the Chill Force had beaten into her even more, after a lifetime of abuse at the hands of Dodoria, Vegeta and Frieza.

"Get up," Vegeta growled at her as he made his way over to her, "I'm claiming this rock."

"Sure, whatever I don't care," Callion shot back just as impatiently, as she ignored him crossed her arms and stood with her back to him._ 'I should have deserted a long-time ago, with Turles when I had the chance.'_

Her response made the Saiyan royal bristle, but otherwise he said nothing instead starting the timer in his Scouter which he had already picked up and placed against his ear, setting it up for three hours.

Nappa in the meantime tried to coax their leader to reason to no avail, "Please Vegeta, I was just starting to have fun. Now I'm bored."

_'Join the club, we got t-shirts,'_ Callion agreed with a grunt, as her eyes went back to the Earthlings, ugh what a terrible feeling boredom was. How she hated it.

"Calm down, use some willpower," The normally less patient Vegeta reproved, showing considerable restraint all of a sudden as he smiled, "It's going to be a much better show in three hours. I promise." This was followed up by a short series of laughter.

_'I knew it, he plans to lay Gohan's tortured remains to Kakarot, what a waste,' _Callion thought to herself, sickened by his schemes and certain that she could talk him out of it, not that it mattered. _'I've fallen into a life of dishonour with no way out, better to be dead than this I suppose, ugh.'_

She didn't say it, but the dishonour of it, the sight of Tien and Chaotzu's deaths had affected her, and reminded her of what she had once had as a baby; honour. To most it meant nothing, but to those brought up in a martial background it was key. It bound them together, gave them reason for living and to a gladiator was all that they had.

These people could have fled, yet they chose to fight, chose to die and did so willingly without a second thought. It took courage, it took honour.

_'I went from being the victim to the bully,'_ Callion thought as she reflected on her life, her terrible short life, one of atrocity after atrocity. It wasn't that she was squeamish, no she was cruel, she knew this. She didn't long to be a hero like Nappa did, didn't long to destroy everything like Turles or Vegeta.

What she longed for, she didn't know, recognition maybe? But what that Chaotzu and Tien had achieved, was exactly the sort of death she had denied poor, honourable and good Ban. _'They died full of honour, and together. I'll die alone, for what comes around, goes around as Ban used to always say.'_

Before she knew it though, she was moving away from her comrades, as Nappa glanced up at her, "Goin' somewhere Cal?"

"Where do you think you're going?" Vegeta demanded of her, he hadn't given her permission to leave his presence yet.

In a flash of insight, she knew, she knew what she wanted then and would satiate her curiosity regarding the half-saiyan now. "Just have some questions, to ask our little friends."

"Oh? Are you going to switch sides on us?" Vegeta asked amusedly, enetertained by the notion of her turning against him, sure that she was still the same weakling he had first met all those years ago.

Nappa gave her a nervous look, obviously worried as he knew what her true power was, that though she was still a bug to Vegeta, she was of far greater power than he himself could currently aspire to or even imagine.

Ignoring him, she left him firmly behind her, blue eyes inherited from her brutish mother fixed on the group of heroes.

"Here comes one of them," Piccolo stated having overheard the conversation between the Saiyans with his over-sensitive ears.

"O-ooohh boy, it's the chick, shit," Krillin cursed as he began to tremble in fear, which caught the Namek's attention.

"What's the problem with that?"

"The chicks are always crazier and meaner than the guys!" Krillin yelped out as an explanation, it met with silence as Piccolo pondered this universal truth and considered it seriously. Truth was, this 'ugly cow' as Yamcha had called her so eloquently was more akin to a witch in mind and spirit, cruel and dishonourable who knew what she had in store for them.

"Y-you don't think she-she's going to attack us now is she? I thought we had three hours," Gohan mumbled fearfully, backing up a little himself.

_'Let's hope not, given the look the big guy just gave her when it was mentioned she might turn traitor, she's obviously stronger than him. Dammit, what luck indeed.' _Piccolo thought full of despair, even Goku might not be enough for these odds.

The female, Callion was it? Finally arrived a short distance away from them, a smirk on her lips as she raised a hand, and pointed a finger at Gohan and beckoned him towards her in a 'come hither' gesture.

"M-m-m-me?" Gohan gasped fearfully, his heart stopping as she nodded at him. "She's not going to eat me, or something is she?!"

"I-I won't let her," Krillin vowed bravely, fully ready to overcome his fear and even his aversion to fighting/hurting women in order to protect the pure-hearted son of his best-friend and surrogate twin brother.

"Hey, I'm no cannibal and geeze what do you think he'd do to my figure, you little shits?" Callion cursed at them furiously, insulted by the very idea that she'd eat a child, and a Saiyan one at that.

"Um, I mean, I'm sure your figure could withstand it…?" Krillin reassured her instinctively as he always did when women got mad like that, _'Or she could be as mean as Bulma around that time of the month.'_

"Kid, get over here," Callion ordered as she pointed a finger to the ground in front of her, pinpointing exactly where she wanted him.

Gohan didn't move. Instead he trembled in fear where he stood and stared up at her, mouth agape and mind awhirl with terror and possibilities of what she'd do to him.

With an impatient sigh, she suddenly blurred over to stand in front of the child, with Piccolo and Krillin blinking as neither had sensed nor seen her move. Gohan took a step back, just as Piccolo tensed.

"Come now boy, you are a descendent of the Saiyan race, a race of bloodthirsty killers, show some guts," Callion taunted him as she bent down onto one knee, to stare him in the eye, his gaze captured by her cerulean ones.

"Uuuuhhh, amm okay…"

Another sigh, this time she reached over to her waist, causing all three of them to tense but what she pulled out was a simple container, with a twist top on it. Glancing down at it, as she ignored the other two fighters who glared at her, she pulled it open with a pop and tapped it over her open right palm.

"Here, I know what you need; food. All male Saiyans are damn bottomless useless pits, and aren't completely useless only after having had some food," Callion told the kid as she pulled out a small brown octagon shaped piece of what looked like food, which she extended towards Gohan who tensed.

"What?" Piccolo asked stunned, having never in a million years predicted that the enemy would offer food to the boy or to any of them at all, especially after she had laughed at Tien so cruelly.

"Is it poisoned?" Gohan asked which made Krillin take a step forward, in order to volunteer to be guinea pig for him.

"Maybe I should try it, just to be sure."

"I offered it to the brat, not to you, you gluttonous midget," Callion snapped impatiently as she tossed it into her mouth with a swift movement of her index finger as she chewed it thoroughly, "See? It's a sweet."

"Who's gluttonous?" Krillin demanded outraged to be accused of such a thing when he had never been much of a big eater in comparison to some people, such as a certain formerly deceased Saiyan.

"Now, I'll give you the whole container and in exchange, I get info how's that kid?" Callion asked gruffly, as she poured him one candy and offered it to Gohan who slowly, and carefully extended his hand to accept it.

He took it into his mouth, to the trepidation of Krillin and himself, chewing slowly yet carefully as he was a good boy and had excellent manners as taught to him by his mother. Only for an explosion of taste to set off in his mouth, it was sweet like chocolate yet felt more akin to jerky, needing more chewing for more of the taste only for it to soon be swallowed, and finished much to his disappointment.

"Wow, that was really tasty, thank you miss. More please," He thanked her extending a grubby hand for the container, startling her and drawing a raised brow at the 'miss' but a short laugh nonetheless escaped her, at his greedy reaction. "Can Krillin have some?"

"Nope," She snapped, "Only once I have my info can you have the container, got that?"

"What kind of info?" Piccolo demanded of her rudely, eyes scathing into her soul mistrustfully, "How's this instead, the container and info for info."

"Whatever, I want to know about the boy." Callion stated, as she pointed at Gohan who swiftly accepted the candy and tried to give it over to the cue-ball who was curious himself now to try the sweet even though, he was hesitant to trust or give her any info.

"Why me? I'm no one special," Gohan protested weakly, with no one present believing him for a second, as they all knew him to be one of the most special boys to have ever lived.

"Because of your blood boy, you're Kaka-this Goku's child, correct? So then, who did he mate with? Who is your mother, can all humans mate with Saiyans or is your mother someone special too?" Callion grilled him eagerly, hopeful for what she might discover her eyes bored into Gohan's very soul intimidating him and making him regret taking the candy.

"You mean, Chi-Chi? She's I guess the toughest woman around, but we don't know the answer to that question, I guess if Goku had the uh, equipment and if he could mate with her, maybe you guys can with humans," Krillin replied nervously, only to realize what he'd told her, "Wait, that doesn't give you a license for rape or anything-"

"Calm down, I'm not going to rape anyone, I have more honour than that though not by much midget so don't push me," Callion snapped at him, insulted by the very notion after all the times Turles, Radditz and Vegeta had tried to force themselves upon her, only to face Frieza or her wrath.

"Oh?" Krillin muttered in surprise.

_'Honour? That's the first any of them speak of it, and she seems drawn to Gohan, but why?'_ Piccolo asked himself as he studied the woman who offered Gohan yet another candy out of many, this time the boy took it with all the eagerness of a lively chipmunk reaching for a nut. "I have a question; why the obsession with Gohan?"

"Not that it's anything to you, but as the only female Saiyan left in this whole damn universe, I'm what the others consider to be good for little more than breeding. This kid is proof I can have some standards," She quipped back as she reached out a hand towards the child eyes studying his suddenly nervous ones, as she then ordered him, "Grip my finger boy."

"My name is Gohan."

"Then do as I say, Gohan." He nodded and grabbed it fearful of what she was about to do, but then she showed as much impatience and anger as Piccolo could, "Harder you brat, grip it with all you've got and try to rip it off of me."

"But what if I hurt you?" Gohan quavered as he glanced over at Krillin who gaped at her, only to nod his head dumbly to the boy who pulled with all of his might, trying to break the limb more to appease her glaring eyes, than because he truly wanted to hurt her then.

"Just do it," She ordered quietly, only to wince a little a few second later and to pull her hand back away from him, nodding to herself as he shook her finger a little. "I see, you are physically strong even if you lack resolve."

"Enough of this, why this stupid test, you have to know from your device how strong Gohan currently is, and therefore what was this test for?" Piccolo demanded losing patience with her, he hated being toyed with if she was going to kill them, she should just get it over with.

"Simple, I'm coaxing him and wondering if maybe this whole trip might not be a total waste," Callion shot back with that damnable smirk still on her lips, as she grinned again at Gohan, "Gohan, can you fire ki-blasts?"

"Uh-huh."

"Hmmm, interesting. So you can fight, you can fire ki-blasts, and you used to have a tail this is interesting, and you obviously have more power in you and ahead of you than any pure-blood could ever imagine, hnh." Callion murmured as she studied him closely, pulling his arm out so as to check the firm muscles there, then studying his eyes, his jaw and his entire self closely, only to end up clicking at her Scouter for more information. _'Might as well do a full-physical while I'm at it.'_

"Um hey, what are you doing?" Krillin stuttered nervously, as he took a step forward, worried for his nephew, only to earn himself a cool look that made him back up a step.

"Giving him a physical dwarf, what the heck do you think I'm doing? Anyways, about those stupid Dragonballs, care to spill?" She explained only to ask about the balls absently, while she read the information that showed up. _'Huh, blood-type yeah yeah, okay let's see, approximate age; five, figures already knew that from Radditz and Kakarot's recording. Lessee here? Estimated growth rate for the next few days; unknown? The hell? First time it's done that.'_

"B-but, don't you want Piccolo for that?"

"Hey!" Piccolo growled down at the runt, only for Callion to flash her eyes at them.

"Don't treat me like an idiot, I'm no Vegeta, I know for a fact you all know about those balls, so they grant one wish. I want the rule-book now, or I could go and fetch Nappa and he can ask you." Callion retorted with a grin as she stood up, and looked as though she were about to head over to fetch her friend.

"No wait! Um, rules what rules? You can wish for just about anything really," Krillin explained glibly, only to ask, "Why didn't you try asking that from the start."

"Because, stupid over there doesn't ask first, he shoots first and then has no wad for the rest of his life, now let's see. Anything? Yet, what about repeat wishes you guys said nobody could be wished back from the dead twice, right?" Callion asked being thorough as she crossed her arms at them, gazing at Krillin intently.

"Wait, that's two questions, and I want info too," Piccolo snapped, as he glanced over at Nappa gazing at them anxiously, "Does he have any weaknesses? And does the shorter one?"

"Nappa? Weaknesses?" Callion asked glancing back at him, only to burst out laughing, "You really think I'd tell you that? Please, I won't talk about that."

"Then no info on the balls." Piccolo snarled back, but Callion was already uncrossing her arms and pulling out some more candy, this time she took a bite herself absent-mindedly.

"Fine, how's this; I don't know. Nappa is built like an ox, graceful despite his stature and a sure warrior. He doesn't have a weak-point, he's smart, agile and strong." Callion retorted in a patronizing voice, only to press her index finger to her lower lip in a thoughtful gesture, "Although, he does tend to get carried away, though he never loses focus on the bigger picture even when he does that. Not like Vegeta at all."

"How so?" Piccolo pressed her intently, eager for this, needing this as a man in the desert needs water and sustenance more than anything else in the world.

"Ah, ah, ah," Callion scolded waving her finger about, "That's three questions, I asked two, you asked two. That's how it works, I answered you on Nappa."

"But not on Vegeta," Krillin pressed having not yet eaten his bit of candy, he stared her down intently, with Callion shrugging her shoulder.

"Fine, whatever. I don't care I doubt you'll make it to Vegeta but if you must know, he's arrogant, stupid and indecisive. Once he gets carried away, he'll forget about strategy and try to prove a point, if you can get him angry he should lose sight of what's important." She informed him, only to press for info, "Now I want my question answered."

"The Dragonballs can only wish you back to life once, then never again." Krillin explained.

"What if you word it differently?"

"Nope, it only works the one time, I should know I've already been brought back once."

"I see, and immortality?"

"Immortality? Hahahahahahaha!" Piccolo began to snicker loudly, catching the attention of the two Saiyans far behind her, she raised an eyebrow as Gohan stared up at Piccolo anxiously, as the Namekian thought back to the sadistic Garlic Jr. "That wish has already been made, it's impossible. So that's where your ambitions lie, huh?"

"Nope, not mine Vegeta's, what's eternal life if all it means is, you end up someone else's dog or prisoner?" Callion retorted unamused by his sneering laughter, bending back down to hand more candy to the eager boy she considered his words, "Already made huh? What a waste, so the battle was pointless. Whatever, not my problem."

"Wait, we want answers too, you said; 'what's eternal life if you end up someone else's dog' and you spoke of honour, does that mean you believe, truly believe in these things?" Piccolo asked of her, eyes piercing through her as she got up to her feet, to begin to return to her team.

Callion had by no managed to get as far as turning around, only to stiffen at his last question, a question for a question, that was their deal and yet that was a question she honestly didn't know the answer to. The lackey part yes she knew the answer to that, but the part about honour? No, she didn't.

_'Ban would have answered in a heartbeat.'_ She thought as she looked up at the heavens searchingly only to shrug, and turn around part of the way in order to shoot the Namek a confident sneer. "Me? Honour? You do know what I do for a living right? No, I don't believe in honour. I'm not like you, or cue-ball there, or even that Tien guy or even Chaotzu, or even Nappa for that matter. I'm not honourable."

Her comment earned each of their attention for different reasons, with Krillin staring at her in bewilderment, _'She almost sound like she longs for something, or admires us. And what's this about that Nappa jerk being honourable? I don't think he could even spell the word.'_

_'She definitely longs for something, she wishes to escape a life of dishonour, her will and mind are not into this battle… interesting, we may have a chance after-all and it may not require us to rely upon Goku either,'_ Piccolo mused for the first time a bit of hope lighting up in his chest as a portion of the weight around his shoulders lightened a little.

With one last smirk, the woman leaning down to pat and ruffle Gohan's hair a little, even as she gave him some advice, "Alright Gohan, I want you to do something? Fire off a big blast or hurt someone. I don't care who, cue-ball, me, Nappa, heck if you blast Vegeta it would more than please me. But if you do this, I may be able to convince my peers to spare you, how's that sound to you kid?"

"Ummm, but I don't want to hurt anyone, and does this mean you'll tell them not to hurt Mr. Piccolo or Krillin too, and you'll get them to go away?" The child asked naively, gaining him a startled look and a savage one from the Demon King, though he didn't notice it.

"Sorry, kid not how it works, you blast Nappa or Vegeta with all your might, and you prove my theory enough to convince me to spare you. Capiche?" She retorted as she turned to leave the boy, not the first to have ruffled his hair so affectionately, nor was she the first to be so harsh towards him, yet she was the first Saiyan outside his dad who didn't completely scare him.

"Umm, Miss Callion um thanks?"

"Oh yeah, and here you go, for being a good little tyke," Callion said as she remembered, and tossed him the container which he caught, as she left though Krillin finally decided to try the snack.

"Man, that's sweet, but pretty good," He commented, only to draw the ire of Piccolo who told him to pipe down.

"Quiet Krillin, there are more important things to consider," He stated in his deep baritone to the short human, who stared up at him.

"Such as?" He asked so weary he could barely think, yet he forced his mind back into action.

"She obviously wants to keep Gohan alive, also she mentioned honour, and did you notice how she reacted when she mentioned those with it?"

"Yeah, like she was wistful or something," Krillin said, having noticed that key detail as well, he nodded to his newfound friend as he crossed his arm.

"Indeed, which means we might have a chance, if we can just lure her over to our side or otherwise manipulate her into betraying her peers, we may yet live to see the morrow," Piccolo explained though without much hope or conviction as the Turtle heir chortled a little.

"I gotcha, she may not be the prettiest girl out there, but she's definitely almost as tough as the other guy that's for sure, yeah sounds like a plan." Krillin agreed as he sounded completely convinced, though inwardly he was more than a little sceptical; one of those brutes listen to them? Fat chance of that.

"I think she's a little nice," Gohan stated with a small smile, the first he had that day, it was quickly wiped off his face though.

"Quiet, just because she gives you candy doesn't make her any less of a murderer." Piccolo snapped at him, making him jump and whimper anxiously.

"That was quite the conversation, did you ask them for the weather, while you were at it?" Vegeta quipped when Callion had arrived back near them, ignoring him she simply seated herself on the ground and leant down to rest with her arms, below her scalp.

_'Callion, I know there's a reason you wanted to speak to them, still trying to get out from being a brood mare huh? Well that figures, but are you gonna share what you found at any point?'_ Nappa wondered, full of despair for this team, he had never worked with a more dysfunctional and less friendly team in all his life. Granted half of that time had been spent serving Frieza but still, his previous ones had been full of camaderie and teasing, and bantering. This one, was all cold shoulders and quiet simmering hatred.

The only one who seemed to get on well enough, with Vegeta was him, and maybe Turles not that Nappa had much enjoyed how the third-class brought out, the worst in the prince. Sure, he made him laugh, and amused and got on well with the sadistic prince, but he had used him for his own gain and advancement, only to join in on tormenting Radditz and Callion. It was all Nappa could do to rein them in or keep them, from torturing Callion too much, as it was she had left their clutches full of darkness and hatred. Maybe not for Nappa, but for everyone else.

The two groups soon continued the process of waiting, with the Earthlings glaring at the Saiyans, impatient and fearful, with Gohan looking down depressed, though feeling a little better after he'd finish the container of sweets (there were only four left after all was said and done) (Piccolo had refused the sweet offered to him, with Gohan deciding not to let it go to waste, thus eating it himself).

With Vegeta closing his eyes, and Callion napping, it was left to Nappa to keep watch over them, biting his lip as he glared the human and Namek down. They were right there, right there! And yet he could do nothing. Not even Callion or he could convince the arrogant prince to change his mind despite their best efforts (or Nappa's at least).

"I can't stand this Vegeta, why are we waiting?" Nappa growled impatiently turning to his leader with a scowl.

"Because I think we need to teach Kakarot a little lesson, Kakarot was given the chance to join us but he chose to betray us," Vegeta explained a note of cold simmering fury hidden beneath his words and voice, "He's forgotten what it means to be a 'Saiyan', and therefore he must be punished."

_'By killing him? Won't that open the floodgates for more internecine killings?' _Callion wondered to herself with her eyes closed, having not been asleep at all. Instead she was trying to sleep and dozing off, _'And how could he betray us if he was never really on our side to begin with? Ugh, whatever being a 'Saiyan' even means, is it even worth it?'_

Nappa and Vegeta shared a roguish identical set of smirks, minds on the same page so to speak, and both eager for Kakarot's blood, even if it worried the female a little, as she feared the future of what it could mean, there was a reason Turles had been all but chased off by Frieza; he was ambitious and unafraid of slaughtering other Saiyans to get what he wanted.

"We're going to wait for him to show his cowardly face," Vegeta stated firmly with that same malicious grin on his thin lips. "Then we're going to make him watch as we kill his son, and all of his friends." Nappa snickered in malovent glee, but the prince wasn't finished even as his lackey licked his lips, with the last part of his explanation delivered with a snicker of his own. "And then he'll understand the price of his betrayal. You and I can take our time tearing him apart."

"I like the way you think Vegeta, that's a great plan," Nappa said swept up by his feelings of excitement and his desire to please his friend.

"Of course, it all depends on whether or not he decides to show up," Vegeta stated, though he didn't seem to believe this.

"So if the guy doesn't show up in a couple of hours, I still get to kill these three right?"

"No, Nappa not all three," Vegeta stated to the surprise of Callion and the disappointment of Nappa.

_'Yes, even he's realized there's value in keeping a half-Saiyan alive, especially given it could take time to breed and train another, we could use this one in the meantime.'_ Callion noted proud for the first time in her life of the prince and actually giving him a speculative look, as she ceased her pretensions of napping.

But the prince was determined to disappoint her in more ways than one, "We still need to ask the Namek about the Dragonballs, got it?"

_'You do realize I already- you know what? Never mind,'_ She thought as she picked up on one detail that Vegeta just implied, and even stated earlier to her growing ire.

Nappa snickered to himself, but a voice cut through their little chat, as Callion let her displeasure with their 'plan' be known, "No, you two; we kill the Namek he's useless and we spare Kakarot's boy."

"What?" Vegeta asked with a smirk, "Don't tell me you've gone soft for him?"

"Why the kid?" Nappa asked curiously.

"Because, you brainless dolts, we need him. Look at him now, and imagine what he could be if we were to raise him to be loyal to us, we could use him against Frieza. Don't look at one small section but the whole picture as Turles used to say, remember?" Callion snapped at them, while she had hated the sociopath, she could not deny his genius or his unmitigated imagination.

"That deserter? You really want me to consider his words at all?" Vegeta asked densely not picking up on her point, "The child is useless we're stronger than he is now."

"But in a few years, he could be stronger," Callion argued strongly, "Think I know it's hard for you, but try Vegeta. He's our key to freedom, the key to that little bedtime story you still like to go to bed with."

"Shut up, if I say he dies in front of his pathetic father, than he dies." Vegeta shot back furious that she'd undermine the great tales and histories that his father told him, as little more than 'bedtime stories' or that she'd dare to insult his great and perfect mind.

"You know Vegeta, she may have a point about the kid in a few years idea, he could prove to someday be something," Nappa pointed out remembering how he had once argued to King Vegeta to give his legitimate first-born son a chance. The king had been on the verge of dismissing the prince out of hand for having a disappointing intellect. Yet Nappa had argued furiously, and pleaded on bended foot and knee to have the infant spared, as sure he had been found wanting there, but he was powerful and what more could a father want?

In time King Vegeta had come to love his infant son, and realized that Nappa was right and had heaped honours and had told him if he could he'd make him a duke, but perhaps it'd be best to leave such a title to the prince to give him when he assumed the crown. All these honours had pleased and touched Nappa, who had considered service its own reward and had turned down many, though he did retain a few more out of pride and arrogance than out of any other reason eventually.

_'I remember that day well, the king was never a patient man, but he folded and gave me my one request the first in my life, and 'punished' me by demoting me from being the youngest admiral ever to be his son's nanny and tutor. Vegeta since then has never let me down, and he won't start now.'_ Nappa thought convinced he had made the right call, he had loved his king with all his heart and he loved the son even more, he knew that if Callion wanted the boy badly enough, then there had to be a compromise or a way to get her or the prince to concede._ 'Maybe if she was any less of a Saiyan woman, or a bit softer she might be able to be more pleasing for Vegeta. Callion, I like ya but why can't ya try a little harder to compromise? If Planet Vegeta were still around, you'd be the ideal woman, but it's not and we need compromise between us three, so just this once concede or something.'_

"I say he dies, so he dies," Vegeta growled back, unwilling to bend on this, so his right-hand man shrugged his shoulders considering the argument over.

"I say he lives, so he lives." Callion bit back defiantly, "Watch Vegeta, if he proves himself I promise you, he'll be worth having around, if as a weapon than for no other reason."

The matter was settled. With the prince and the slave-caste woman both unwilling to budge, neither of them capable of compromise yet both convinced they were right. And each of them expecting Nappa to back them up, when he'd rather stay out of this if it could be helped at all.

Meanwhile, over with the Earthlings, Krillin let out a sigh of impatience and irritation, pacing the ground a little, this drew a worried look from Gohan, "What's the matter Krillin?"

"It's just, Goku should have been here by now," Krillin complained slamming his right fist into his left palm, angry and weary of this battle and day. "What's the deal? Was he brought back to life or not?!"

Gohan turned disappointed eyes from Krillin to Piccolo, needing reassurance as he began to feel Krillin's doubts about his father having been wished back, "Piccolo?" No answer, the Namekian may as well have been made of stone, his attention fixated on the enemy's argument, with the boy staring at the ground in frustration, "Hmm."

_'She really wants to use Gohan to fight someone? Who's this Frieza? Is there someone stronger than them? Ugh, great,'_ Piccolo thought to himself equally frustrated as his comrades, yet not without some consolation, _'So she's strong, yet she wants Gohan even if she doesn't care for Krillin and I. This could prove useful.'_

He was so lost in his own plans and observations that he nearly missed Krillin's words when he had turned to address him, fists waving to emphasize his feelings as he spoke, "Hey! Why are we even sticking around here anyway? We can't beat these guys, we should just run while we have the chance!"

It was a possibility, or would have been one three and a half hours ago. Now it was a foolish one, they were trapped. If they tried to flee, the merciless Saiyans would take the chance to slaughter them all, and even the more merciful Callion would kill them on principle, Gohan included if he failed to meet her expectations and fled.

_'No, fleeing isn't an option, not for Gohan, and certainly not for you, Krillin or even myself, we're already damned.'_ Piccolo thought his fangs clenched together in a fury, as he kept his gaze focused on the Saiyans.

He shifted his gaze to Krillin to eye him out of the corner of his eyes, "You can run, but what's the point? If we don't stop them here we'll have to face them eventually." Eyes back on the Saiyans, "You might as well stay and get it over with."

"Guh, but this is crazy," Krillin raged, glowering down at his shaking fists, "We need Goku, where is he? He's the only one who even has a chance of stopping these guys, why isn't he here!?" Krillin wasn't finished not by a long-shot as he raised his head again, this time to argue almost one-sidedly with the stone-faced Piccolo. "So what do you suggest we do Piccolo? What happens if Goku doesn't make it?"

Piccolo knew the answer, as did Krillin and delivering reassurance was not in the Demon King's nature, as he responded honestly without realizing that he was giving them the pep talk they needed. "Who knows? We all know that Goku is on his way here. Maybe he'll make it in the next two hours and maybe he won't. But whether or not he gets here, we're going to have to see this thing through together. We can't just give up because things aren't the way we want them to be."

Krillin looked a little put-off yet reassured, as he backed off a little, his tantrum over and his despair quelled if still present, but Piccolo wasn't finished speaking, in a way though he didn't realize it he was acting as a true-leader does when the chips are down and not in his favour; he was reassuring and raising the morale of his troops with all the strength and power he had in it in him to give. "We need to be strong. It's up to us now."

Krillin still looked unsure, Gohan just seemed more miserable than before as he apologized for the millionth time that day, certain that he'd let everyone down and that he couldn't live up to Krillin, Piccolo or even that lady over there's hopes for him. Sure, the food had made him feel better, but not by much and not for long. "I'm really sorry, about earlier you guys. I guess I just froze when I saw him coming at me." His eyes began to fill up again, as he recalled how Tien had fought so hard, and yet had fallen nonetheless. "If it wasn't for me, Tien would still be alive."

That guilt plagued him, and would to his dying day he knew, he had let poor noble Tien down by not attacking, instead it was left to the human hero to cover his slack and he had paid for it with his life.

Piccolo though was not one for reassurance, raised a monster and feared since he was created from the evil half of Kami's near completely pure soul, he could not understand the simple needs Gohan had. He could not grasp then how pure and how sensitive the boy was, and how much he needed a comforting and even encouraging hand as his father would have so swiftly given the lad.

Yet Piccolo couldn't also even consider any other kind of love then, than tough love as he had never felt true friendship or warmth, not from anyone other than Goku and Gohan, yet it was still too new and strange to him, so his next words could be understood in that context though they didn't mitigate the cruelty in them.

"It hurts doesn't it," He snapped in his most biting tone, "Facing your fears would have been much less painful."

This time though, there was one person around to see and protest against Piccolo's abusive relationship with Gohan, to shout out against his harsh treatment of Gohan which to be honest, Goku with his thick skin could have handled yet Gohan who was more sensitive and a lot younger could not. There was the kindly Krillin standing right there, eyes wide and gentle heart outraged by this cruel treatment of the poor boy.

"Hey, go easy on him Piccolo," Krillin reprimanded him, not fearing the wrath of the man who had once murdered him and who had inspired such terror in him once upon a time. "You know given his age and everything, I think it's a miracle that he's even out here at all." He then gave a wolfish and humorous grin to the boy who looked up at him needily, wanting some reassurance, "You know if it were me, I'd have probably been long gone by now."

"Thanks, Krillin," Gohan murmured sincerely, moved by his confidence and faith in him even if he was less than certain that Krillin would have fled, to him the short man was little less than a superhero. Full of strength, courage, tenacity and cunning, truly the miraculous and resourceful survivor from his father's old tales.

"Gohan, you know how to fight, remember your training," Piccolo reminded him sharply.

"But I'm not ready," Gohan whined, "We still have two hours, maybe you could still train me some more, while we're waiting!"

It was a stupid motion to propose in Piccolo's eyes which were not slow in burning his only pupil at the stake, though if his eyes were scary enough, his voice would have chilled the blood and flesh from grown men, "The training is complete! I taught you everything I know, just go home."

He turned his back on the boy, so infuriated by him was he,_ 'Prove yourself my nemesis' son! Goku would have been unafraid, you dishonour his great and noble memory with your whining and cowardice!'_

"But Piccolo!" Gohan pleaded weakly, hopeful for some pity if any, but the Demon King was without pity or kindness at this moment, his shoulders slumped even as Krillin looked from one friend to the other.

He knew they needed all the help and unity they could get and yet, it seemed to him right when they needed to be more united than ever, they were to the contrary more divided than they could ever be.

To the midget's horror and disappointment Gohan began to walk away in defeat, defeated and broken in his stance, "W-wait Piccolo…"

_'Gohan, it's true; I taught you everything. You're ready,'_ Piccolo groaned in his mind, not wanting him to leave but too proud to say otherwise, in his own way though he would hate to admit it openly, he loved Goku. He loved him as a friend, maybe even as a best friend were, he any less proud. He also knew him in a way no one save maybe Chi-Chi did.

He knew how the man thought and fought, he knew him as an enemy sure, but also as a rival, as a brother he clashed with, and he loved him for who else could have bested him than the finest warrior and thinker he knew. Goku had always triumphed, and always shown him compassion, affection nowhere was it better shown than at the World's Martial Arts Tournament or when they fought Radditz.

So to hear Gohan moan, and claim to be unprepared to Piccolo stung deeper than all other words or insults. It stung worse than the taste of defeat, because he knew himself, he loved himself. He also knew how great Goku was, and believed him to be greater than that, and to have someone besmirch the honour and glory Goku had achieved infuriated him beyond reason.

"Gohan, come back," Krillin shouted after the boy without thinking, if the boy was to leave he'd rather it be in good spirits than looking so small and broken. "Wait a second, we need you. He doesn't really want you to go, c'mon tell him Piccolo!"

His words though, made Gohan's eyes start tearing up, he knew they weren't true, yet he wanted Piccolo to shout after him, to admit that he liked him or needed him there. He loved Piccolo, or at least had grown to, because they had shared two things in common over this past year; a passion for Martial Arts (which Gohan had become quite devoted to) and a love for Goku, whom Piccolo had never said a single cross word about. If anything, he seemed to care for him and respect him as much almost more so than even Krillin.

The knowledge that he had tried so hard, yet never could seem to earn Piccolo's favour was too much by now, he was tired of the abuse, it hurt, and he just wanted his parents. He had tried so hard, and had been found so wanting.

"Gohan!"

Both Piccolo and Krillin sense the blast coming before Gohan did, both horrified and reacting instinctively as they looked up in terror after it, as it zoomed past them and straight for the child. Who was thrown back off his feet and onto his rump by the force of the explosion which shattered one of the nearby mountains next to him. The boy let out a little squeak of surprise rather than fear at this, as he glanced up at the one who had tossed the ball of energy towards him, missing deliberately.

"Hey, you little brat, you better run home," Nappa taunted not wanting him to leave but aware of something others present weren't; how to taunt a child's pride into getting them to do the opposite, he should know as he had plenty of practice dealing with children. "We wouldn't want you getting hurt. Hahahahaha!"

If this meant acting like a schoolyard bully, then so be it and it had the immediately desired result, as Gohan shouted back furious and hurt. Inadvertently channeling a side to him that, neither Piccolo nor Krillin had previously suspected lay somewhere inside of his gentle, doe-like spirit; his mother's temper. Originally something of a crybaby, Chi-Chi had grown into a formidable woman, with some part of her vigour and temper having obviously been passed down, to her beloved son.

"You shut up, you big bully! I'm not running away, you can't scare me anymore!" Gohan searched for an excuse and found one, which he spouted off weakly, "I was just going over there to go to the bathroom, if that's okay with you…" Then he added one complaint that drew an amused look from Nappa, "You could use a shower yourself, you know."

Nappa hadn't heard him, and pressing a large hand to his left ear he leant forward even as Callion shrugged and leant back, "Heh, speak up kid."_ 'A child should be loud you know, so get some balls if you want to live.'_

His demeaning tone drew the ire of the boy, who glared up at him all weakness forgotten as he hated being bullied, yet Nappa wasn't finished and as Gohan didn't look as though he were going to speak up, he hit the final nail into place, "Well?"

"Okay I said; you SMELL!"

The look of shock that leaped onto Nappa's face was priceless, as Gohan demonstrated very evidently that he was his mother's impulsive son, the Saiyan was outraged and horrified. He did not stink, there was no way! "Grrrrrrr! Why you little rat! How dare you!"

Vegeta tittered at his expense, even as his fellow servant of Frieza continued to rant, "You're brave now, but we'll see what happens in two hours."

But Vegeta's tittering was nowhere near the full-blown belly laugh/set of giggles that started to pour out of Callion, as she roared with laughter, snorting her nose as disgracefully as she always did whenever she laughed. "Bwuhahahahahahahahahahahaha! He nailed it on the head, Nappa maybe you should skip the next two hours and the fight and go for a swim or something! Mwhuahahhahahaha! Man, what a riot! I love this kid! Maybe he should quit fighting for comedy, he sure got you there Nappa!"

Her reaction startled everyone, and for once Vegeta didn't scold her, as he quite agreed with her for the first time ever, even as the human snickered a little himself. Even Piccolo looked as though he were fighting down a grin, a weak one but still a grin, more at Gohan's shout. But the female's snort of laughter drew an irritated scowl, as she was too loud for his oversensitive pointy ears.

"Oh shut up Cal! It wasn't that funny to begin with! Oh, do stop snorting it makes you sound like a pig," Nappa shouted back at the girl, as she began to slam her fist onto the ground, rolling over onto her knees to do so and to carry on with her snickering.

"Wow, she sure likes her jokes," Krillin commented, glad Oolong or Roshi weren't present as they had similarly rotten senses of humour even if the whole situation was a little ridiculous.

Gohan turned a vibrant pink at her over-exaggerated reaction, as she snorted and laughed disgracefull, _'Gosh.'_ He thought as he looked down a little, he was surprised to hear the word 'love' used by a Saiyan, and though he knew it was only incidentally mentioned he still liked to hear it said, even if she didn't really mean it.

"A little too much, I guess we found her weakness," Piccolo noted disdainfully, _'If need be, we should just have Gohan or Krillin crack a few dirty jokes or really bad puns, and she'll defeat herself. Wonder if maybe we can ask her to fight us, that way we could dispatch her first.'_

* * *

"Each side seems to be waiting for something," The reporter on the scene announced from the hidden vehicle, as Mike the cameraman zoomed the camera in on the figures waiting patiently, "The three remaining members of Earth's special forces have already defeated six deadly green men but they seem to have reached a stalemate with the large muscular alien-"

Mike hissed at him bravely from behind him, "Let's move in closer."

"-Thus far it appears the smaller alien has not joined the fighting, we are currently attempting to approach the battlefield to get a better view of the aliens now that the action has subsided, perhaps we will also gain some insight as to why the ceasefire has been called. But for the moment, the reasons for this lull in the fighting has been anybody's guess." The reporter stated firmly.

At Kame House, Chi-Chi and Puar were out again, with Bulma turning to Roshi, "Why do you think they're waiting?" It mystified her and didn't make any sense, why didn't Krillin man up and try attack one of them while their guard was down? The female looked asleep, the short one was just sitting there and the big one was just stretching after all.

"I'm not too sure," Roshi confessed grimly, as Ox-King gazed at him hopefully from over his shoulder, where he sat still waving a fan at Chi-Chi. "It doesn't make sense, but whatever the reason with any luck perhaps, they'll wait long enough for Goku to make it back. Let's just hope that Goku's strong enough to beat them."

"He will be," Bulma declared full of certainty and defiance towards the elderly man's doubts, she raised her hands in prayer to the ceiling, certain she was right, "Goku's never lost a fight not when everything's on the line."

"But these guys are aliens," Oolong argued doubtfully, "What if he's not strong enough?" His face grew fearful as he spoke, "I mean, what's gonna happen to us? C'mon tell me the truth I can take it."

"Well what do you think?" Bulma demanded impatiently of the small pig, did he really have to be so thick at a time like this? "Those Saiyans aren't here on vacation you know; they wanna take over our planet and sell it. It'll be the end of the world as we know it."

Oolong paled even more than before, "Nnnoooo, I don't wan' it ta end." Only to slump over, "Ooohhh, I can't take it why did ya have to go ahead and tell me that Bulma. You know that I'm highly allergic to danger."

"You mean that you're a coward."

"Uhuhuhh, it's a medical condition!"

"Riight, your selfishness produces a chemical reaction in your brain that causes extreme fear," Bulma grunted back, arms crossing beneath her bosom as she glowered down at him.

Oolong growled back, just as Chi-Chi regained consciousness, "Ugh, where am I?"

"Chi-Chi, you're here, you'll be okay," Ox-King stated densely, forgetting to tell her where 'here' was, though she had already put it together by simply glancing around at the mess that was Roshi and Krillin's bachelor house.

Chi-Chi sucked in her breath, hopeful that the last thing she remembered was nothing more than a nightmare, "Dad, is Gohan alright?"

This time there was some good news, as Roshi smiled back at her warmly, pleased to be able to reassure Ox's little girl even as Bulma grinned as well, eager to reassure the poor tortured young mother.

"He's just fine." Roshi reassured her, just as the camera switched to a view of the Earth's remaining defenders.

"Yeah, the fighting stopped." Bulma added helpfully.

"I-it's all over?" Chi-Chi asked hopefully.

"N-no, they're taking a break," Roshi informed her eager to continue to reassure her. _'It's bad enough for my heart to imagine Krillin out there, as he's my little boy but for her, it must be torture. I mean if Krillin had been there and so young, I'd have killed someone already.'_

"What? But why?" the princess demanded hands on her father's knees, as she leant over towards Roshi and Bulma.

"We don't know hun," Ox-King whispered to her, in his mind she looked so small no different than when she was a little girl and frightened for poor Goku, as he went off to fight, here, there and everywhere, always in danger and always without anyone to help him. It had broken her heart then, and it had broken his both to see his surrogate son run off like that and straight into danger, and to see his love-struck daughter so heartbroken.

"Where in the world is Goku?" Chi-Chi demanded, she just knew he'd beat those three freaks, and throw them back into the hell-hole they had come out, he'd never failed her and never failed anyone ever._ 'Goku where are you? Those animals are going to kill our baby, we-I need you! Gohan needs you!'_

"Now, now please Chi-Chi you need to try and stay calm," Ox-King tried to soothe her, he did as he hated it when she lost her temper and while he loved how like his late beloved wife she was in how passionate she could get, but still, he hated to see her in pain or angry. He put his hands on her shoulders to emphasize his point, "You know Goku dear. Wherever he is, he's trying his absolute best to get here in time. Remember the King Piccolo incident? He made it then, and he'll make it in time again, I'm sure of it."

"Hmm," Chi-Chi murmured unconvinced but needing to believe as best she could in those words, at the moment she wished it wasn't her father's hands on her shoulders but Goku's. She missed him, he was her heart just as she was his, she knew and yet this waiting was killing her. It was worse than if Gohan had been killed in front of her, because the waiting, the expectation that he would fall and the certainty that he would, was the worse feeling she had ever endured in all her life.

The heart-breaking/semi heart-warming moment was broken up though by the loud and obnoxious arrival, of someone many of them had feared, perhaps almost more than any Saiyans, as the door was kicked down as was typical for her, just as she hollered at them. It was the ever typical, angry side of Launch.

"HEY! Open the damn door when I knock ya bunch of lousy schmucks!" She was in full rage mode, with two full automatics in hand, and Roshi didn't like the prospect of having to talk her down already.

"It's Launch!" Several of them shouted, much as this side had starred in more fantasies than her gentler side, neither Oolong or Roshi were all that pleased to see her.

"Umm, hey Launch," Oolong mumbled sweating and already planning a quick getaway.

"You lushes, get away from mah tv! NOW! I wanna see, how my Tien and Chaotzu are doin', ya got that?" She raged at them, "Not a single tv in town is working so move your damn rumps."

"Oh boy," Roshi mumbled sweating as well, from nervousness as he glanced at Bulma uncertainly terrified by the notion that they would have to be the ones to bear the bad news to her. Last time there had been bad news to tell her, more than a few of them had to be sent to the hospital for multiple bullet and stab wounds.

"You're telling her," Bulma immediately stated firmly, to the old man, terrified of the gun-toting maniac who had just entered their house.

"Ulp."

Soon enough though, it wasn't an explosion of rage that was heard from within Kame House, but a flood of sobs, heart-break and wailing, as Launch's life was torn down around her ears, as she refused the comfort of all of them. It took several discharges later of her rifles outside, nearly trying to switch her (which nearly resulted in Oolong being flaid alive for such an attempt) and finally Ox-King of all people, taking her into his arms for one of his warm hugs that even Launch couldn't resist as she sobbed into his chest.

"There, there," He said to her outside the house, as Bulma slowly began to crawl away with the highly illegally modified rifles to toss them into the sea, better to be rid of those dangerous weapons than to risk them falling into the wrong hands/Launch's again.

"TIEN! TIEEEEEEENNNNNNN! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU LIIIAAARRRR!" Launch wailed heartbrokenly, as Ox-King combed a hand through her thick hair, and patted her gently on the back as he would his own child, and as he did a year before when Chi-Chi heard of her own lover's fall. "WHO GAVE THAT ASSHOLE PERMISSION TO DIE!? I WANT A RING! I WANT 'EM BACK! I WANT THE FUCKING SKULLS OF THOSE MONSTERS AT MY FEET!"

"Poor girl," Chi-Chi murmured moved, as she moved out of the house to stroke Launch's shaking back, the drama and anger drained from her, as she continued to sob almost into unconsciousness, so great was her heartbreak and tragedy, as she had lost not just a lover, but a child as well.

"Yes, it is terrible for her, I wish… I wish I could have been there," Roshi groaned as he stared at the tv, unable to look through the window as his surrogate son comforted his former maid, as she sobbed for another forty minutes, _'Oh, Goku… where are you? We need you!'_

* * *

The three hours were up, a fact that Vegeta let Nappa know of and that did little to please the impatient Saiyan warrior who waved his arms at the glaring Krillin and Gohan as he shouted at them and Piccolo who had his back to everyone else, "Where's Kakarot?"

"You were right Nappa, he's not coming," Vegeta concluded in agreement with his lackey as he conceded that he was wrong for once.

"Maybe it was traffic, I hear it's a bitch in this quadrant of the galaxy," Callion pitched in sarcastically, as she stretched having enjoyed her two-hour nap quite thoroughly and still blinking herself into wakefulness. Damn she hated having, low blood pressure when waking up.

"Yes, he is! My dad's not afraid, he'll be here!" Gohan yelled back, having obviously remembered the slurs to his beloved daddy's name.

"That's right," Krillin added at once, as Piccolo uncrossed his arms and turned around to face the enemy, "He'd never abandon his friends!"

_'Hurry Goku,'_ Piccolo pleaded aware that he could no longer delay Nappa for any longer than he already had.

Nappa stripped himself of the top half of his armour which fell onto the ground heavily, smashing into it as he stretched himself glad to be free of the heavy, cracked ruin that once protected him.

"Oh yeah, that's much better." He said as he turned around to face the heroes.

He continued to speak as he advanced, pressing and cracking his knuckles into one another as he did so, "I should be able to make quick work of these pathetic weaklings."

_'Let's hope so, I still think this is mostly a waste of time.' _Callion thought as she regarded them, hoping Gohan didn't further disappoint her, because if he did; she'd kill him herself simply for the principle of the matter.

_'Oh, man this is it, Goku why aren't you here?'_ Krillin asked himself mentally, as he gazed in mounting terror at the advancing monster who would have loomed over him had he been about a dozen meters closer. _'I don't wanna go out like this!'_

"Do you wanna die one at a time, or all three at once?" Nappa taunted them, stretching his neck to the side even as he remembered both Callion and Vegeta's previous claims for the lives of both Gohan and Piccolo. "Hehehe, pick."

"Alright pay attention you two, we only have one chance to beat him," Piccolo stated firmly to his remaining two allies, damn he wished that at least Yamcha or Tien had survived up to this point but beggars and demons' couldn't be choosers he supposed. He went on, ignoring the gasps of his two friends, "But it's going to take all of us for it to work. Krillin, I want you to charge him," he then cautioned him, "Don't get too close, I just need you to get his full attention for a few seconds. Meanwhile, I'm going to sneak up behind him to grab his tail; that's a Saiyan's weak point."

"Right," Krillin whispered a lot more confident than before, merely glad to have a plan in place and familiar with the Saiyan tail weakness from childhood alongside Goku.

"We just have to hope that they share that weakness." Piccolo muttered more to himself, as he turned his gaze without turning his head to Gohan, "Gohan, while I'm holding his tail. I want you to attack him, full-force."

"But I don't know Piccolo," Gohan stated hesitating again, "I mean what happens if I miss?"

"You won't miss, don't worry you have all you need to get the job done. I promise you that," Piccolo replied convinced, or so he sounded not that he had any other choice but to have faith in the boy, who nodded with almost all his body if that was possible before he turned to stare down Nappa, as determined as he'd ever be.

_'Alright! I gotta hand it to Piccolo; even now he's still trying to win this thing for us, at least we still have a little hope left,'_ Krillin mused with a grin to the grim faced green man, before he turned his own trained and steely eyes back onto the lumbering giant before him.

"Gohan shake it off," Piccolo told Gohan reassuringly, deciding for the first time in his life to be soft with someone, the boy he realized was scared and needed some assurance he supposed not that he liked giving it out, but if it was Gohan… and it wasn't as though he wanted his last words to the boy, who meant so much to him, and whom was Goku's son to die or for him to die, with bitter words between them. So he lied to him. "What you did before was only natural, but you're ready now. We can see that, I have full confidence in you."

"Me too, Gohan," Krillin said without any doubt in his voice or heart, though he couldn't see it, it was almost too much pressure for his friend, who was quivering with doubt in himself.

"Grrr," Gohan growled, gnashing his teeth together to force himself to focus even as he stared the grinning Nappa down. He prayed he didn't loose his wits and fail his friends again. Never again.

* * *

Little did they realize though, it was at that moment that those who ran the bureaucracy of Spirit World, or Other World as others called it, blinked in surprise as an orange-clad figure dashed past all of them and straight for the white and dark caped/robed figure of Kami who had just arrived.

"Kami!" Goku called out to his longtime friend and mentor, his tone urgent as he searched about with his eyes only to lay eyes on the man, pleased her moved straight for him.

"Goku!" Kami called out to him to catch his attention, both of them standing tall in front of the table where King Yama was working endlessly.

"Are we ready?" Goku asked even more urgently than before, his usually calm yet masculine voice unusually high, from the stress and uncertainty of events that were likely taking place on Earth.

"YES! Grab my arm," Kami instructed just as stressed out as he was.

"'Kay, let's go!" The world's greatest Martial Artist and final hope blinked and he was suddenly on the Lookout that he once years ago called home, back when he had first hit puberty. Turning to his friends with a, thumbs up he told them panting as he did so, exhausted from his trek across Snakeway, "Wish I could chat and catch up, but I gotta run and save the world!"

"Good luck, remember every second counts," Mr. Popo said to him, voice strained as he worried over his old friend, yet eager for him to depart and do everyone proud as he always did.

Goku nodded back, and didn't waste time on any further goodbyes, as he raced along the Lookout without a second's hesitation, running in barely even a second what took most a few minutes to run across. He was over the edge and tumbling towards the ground, pulled by Newton's Law that he loved to study so much, before his old mentor Kami could so much as blink his majestic old eyes in bewilderment.

"Alright, Goku's such a wild man, check him out!" Korin cheered happily, pleased to see him again alive and well, after the tragedy of the year before.

"KORIN!"

"WHAT?"

"I NEED SOME SENZU BEANS!"

"Right," Korin shouted back as Goku fell, he had already forseen this and knew his role well, as he tossed two beans at his friend, "These are my last two for the moment, Goku, catch!"

"Thanks, Korin!" Goku caught them easily, all those matches of baseball with Yamcha and the others paying off, as he caught one in each hand. That took care of that, now he needed to get there in time, to save his friends and beloved planet. "BYE!"

"GIVE 'EM HELL GOKU!" He heard from his one-time mentor, as he fell further and further down, away from the tower devouring one of the beans hurriedly.

_'I'll need all the strength I can get, if I want to beat those two monsters,'_ Goku thought as he swallowed deeply, remembering the battle with his irredeemable, monster of a brother. How they could share blood was beyond him, but it didn't matter to him, he had real brothers, real sisters, real friends here on Earth, and he wasn't going to let these monsters take them from him.

He grinned a second later when he felt his strength returning to him thanks to the magic bean, "Yeah, much better! NIMBUUUUS!" Goku called to his old friend and first gift from the wise if lecherous Roshi, fifteen years ago when they first met. "There you are!"

He cried out to it as it rushed down towards him, faster than the speed of sound, at least one and half times as fast the last time he'd calculated its speed, he wondered if that'd be fast enough though. Not that he'd ever express such doubts to Nimbus' aloud, he was a tad sensitive after-all and this wasn't the time for such doubts or division.

Instead, the young Saiyan warrior turned his attention to sensing even as he gracefully landed on Nimbus who caught him with a small hobble of pride and joy at being able to see its beloved master and friend again. It wasn't hard to find out where the two-no three? There were three of them? Damn that made it harder! Three Saiyans were further, several thousands of miles ahead.

"They're here alright, I can feel it," Goku muttered to himself, thinking fast as he hoped Krillin and the others were okay, they just had to be! He couldn't imagine what he'd do if they weren't. He pointed ahead in the correct direction, for Nimbus' sake, "That way c'mon Nimbus! Let's go!"

Nimbus if it could have, would have nodded or even saluted, as it had never failed Goku before and didn't instinctively plan to ever. Speeding up, as fast as it could go, it would take it barely a minute or two to get there.

"Hang in there guys, I'm coming," Goku vowed as he leant forward on top of Nimbus all but crushing the bean in his grasp as he wished Nimbus would move faster, though it was unfair to it, he still pressured it due to the ball of desperation taking shape in his gut. "Faster, Nimbus, faster!"

* * *

"Where's Kakarot? Where's that pitiful excuse for a Saiyan, hiding?" Nappa demanded of the three once more, deciding to give them one last chance to reveal where the third-class loser was hiding, it was the least he could do before he put an end to them.

"Hahaha, what a coward," Vegeta agreed not realising it, but falling into the role of follower to Nappa's leadership, as he followed the other man's lead in reaching new heights of glory by bullying an infant.

"Don't you say that! My dad's not a coward," Gohan shouted back, still loyally defending his father.

_'C'mooon,'_ Krillin thought tolerating this stupid argument if only for the sake of stalling for a bit longer, anything to put off the current fight and figure out where to strike from, or for Goku to show up and help coordinate with them in taking down these three monsters, only to in frustration once more turn to the heavens, "Goku where are you? Hurry!"

He was starting to lose faith, it just didn't seem as though Goku was coming, maybe there was a mistake? Maybe he hadn't been brought back, or maybe he was chickening out and leaving them to die? No, Krillin told himself, his best friend would never do that, it wasn't in him to quit or abandon others.

"Until Goku arrives, it'll be up to the three of us to slow these guys down," Piccolo reminded them, as much to stall as it was to slowly build up his own courage, it seemed that the big guy wanted them to make the first move. Okay, fine by him and if that was the case then he'd make sure to take as much time as possible, turning to Krillin whom he was counting on more than anyone else, and placing in greater danger than even himself, he asked, "Krillin, are you ready to put this plan into action?"

"You bet," Krillin affirmed immediately, neither needing him to spell it out again what the plan was, but he talked just to stall, just to keep from doing it as he needed to get his legs under control, "I'll stall him, and you'll sneak up on him, right."

"That's right, I'll sneak up on him and grab his tail," Piccolo encouraged, with both of them ready for what needed to be done at long last.

Entertained, Nappa continued his slow advance, having not heard their hurriedly whispered plan, as he taunted them as though they were little more than unruly children, "Secrets, secrets, heh. What're you fools whispering about over there?"

"That's for us to know," Piccolo retorted with an even wider grin back, "But you'll find out soon enough."

Nappa met his gaze. It was as though two wolves of equal might had just met, sniffed at the air and determined that though they were against each other, there was respect even amusement to be found in each of their eyes. The smirk he returned, was even more dark, even more mischievous than Piccolo's cocky one.

_'I like this one,'_ Nappa thought with a start, he hadn't realized it, but he had come to respect and even appreciate this Namekian. It was no wonder Radditz was outclassed by him, given how cunning the Namek was, heck he imagined even with his meager power-level he'd do fairly well against Vegeta or Turles. _'He's a bold one, with plenty of brains, a shame he has to die today.'_

"Sounds interesting, well don't keep me waiting for long." Nappa decided to try his own hand at a pun/bit of gallows humour, "The suspense might kill me, hahahaha, guess I shouldn't get your hopes up like that. Not that you had any to begin with. Hope I mean, it doesn't really matter what you do; you're still gonna die."

"Fiend! Take this," Krillin cried out to him, raising his right-arm before he charged him with a fierce battle-cry.

"Oh, I'm terrified! Should I run away?" Nappa shot back with just as much humour as before, as Vegeta smirked behind him amused by him and by the idea of this human committing suicide like this.

_'He must have lost his wits, if he ever had any,'_ Vegeta thought cockily to himself.

_'He's up to something,'_ Callion decided immediately, it was plenty obvious. "This should prove interesting."

Gohan gulped, it was all or nothing he knew, next to him Piccolo tensed and searched for a place to creep behind before he struck at Nappa. Any cover would do. _'That's it Krillin, keep him busy.'_

But just as Krillin was about to make it within arms' range of the giant he suddenly threw his hands towards the ground and blasted at the ground with a weak yet steady Kamehameha Wave. It blasted him up, over Nappa's head startling the taller fighter who gaped at him.

_'That's it Krillin!'_ Piccolo thought desperately, as he moved faster than the blink of an eye, only to appear to the naked eye a second later to grab onto Nappa's tail from around his waist, his arms raised as though to try and catch Krillin.

"Hey, what the-?" Nappa grunted startled by the sudden appearance of the Namek behind him.

"Gohaaaan!" Piccolo screamed to his apprentice who this time, didn't miss so much as a beat, already charging with a resolute look on his face.

"It worked!" Krillin shouted over Gohan's battle-cry.

Except it didn't. Nappa's startled face shifted to a triumphant one, as he turned his head to gaze down at Piccolo from over his shoulder. "Give me a break!"

Gohan cried out as he came to a sudden stop, Krillin stared open-mouthed just as Nappa's elbow smashed into Piccolo's skull. A sneer on the Saiyan's face, one which soon moved its way to Vegeta's too when he remembered that his peer had also long ago lost that weakness, in fact he was the one who had helped the younger Saiyan lose it.

Piccolo gasped in pain, twitched fighting to keep conscious as he tried to keep ahold of the tail, but it was to no avail. Gohan gasped out his name breathlessly, but it was too late; he had already begun to lose consciousness, the last thing he heard was Nappa's taunting voice again.

"What's wrong Namek? You looked surprised," Nappa commented as he caught him by the scruff of the back of his gi, only to grip his chin roughly in another meaty hand, "Wuhahaha, now don't die on me just yet you still got to tell us about the Dragonballs." _'Or Vegeta at least.'_

"What happened?" Krillin wondered as he couldn't believe his eyes, how could the big guy handle the pain of having his tail gripped? It should have paralyzed him, for sure. "What went wrong? Piccolo had his tail!"

Vegeta cackled, that laugh was really starting to annoy the midget, as the prince leered up at him in triumphant, "Grab his tail? That was your big plan? Nappa and I have grown far beyond that little weakness! Maybe if it had been Callion's it would have worked!"

"Hey, shut up," Callion mumbled irritably, it hurt she couldn't help it and did he have to tell the enemy precisely how to kill her? She at least had tried to prevaricate with Nappa's weaknesses, and as to Vegeta… yeah he kinda've deserved it. _'He never let Turles or Nappa teach Radditz or myself how to handle it, so Radditz's death is on his hands, the useless boob.'_

"Good for us, very bad for you," Nappa stated honestly, if he hadn't have grown past that little Achilles' heel he'd be done for. He then tossed the Namek over next to Gohan, "One hit, and he's supposed to be one of the strongest on this planet."

Gohan hurried over to his side, worried and heartbroken to see his mentor so swiftly cut down, as though he were nothing, "Piccolo! Wake up! Wake up!" he shook the green giant with his small hands, "Please say something! Piccolo we need you!"

"Is he… is he…?" Krillin stuttered uncertain if the self-appointed leader of the defence of the planet was done for or not. _'What are we gonna do if Piccolo dies and Goku's not here? With Tien dead, that'll leave me in charge and I'll likely fall in under two seconds and when that happens, what's gonna happen to poor Gohan? Or Roshi? Or the others, oh dammit all!'_

"That's that," Nappa remarked casually, "Guess I'll have to find someone else to play with until he decides to wake up." Then as though he were putting a lot of thought into it, he stepped on over towards Gohan, "Hmmm, well how's about you kid? Huhaha."

Gohan trembled and gasped as he stared up at the man who in that moment, seemed to be taller, much taller than every the highest mountains. What was he gonna do against someone so big? So Strong? And so much older?

"You know, you should be proud? You're Saiyan too," Nappa commented as he bent over to wave a heavy fist in front of Gohan, "But still that's pretty good. The Saiyans are the strongest race in the galaxy," He stood up with a chortle to his full height, as he gazed down upon the panicking child, "Yep, someday you could've been a mighty warrior. Someday, but not today."

The kick that was delivered to Gohan's gut sucked all the air out of him, all that he had and left nothing there remaining or so it felt, to the boy as he was sent flying back along the ground, cutting and bruising himself as he went flying.

* * *

Static. Again. The stations were down, yet again.

"Uggggrrrrr, there goes the picture again!" Roshi complained, he knew he should have gone for a Capsule Corp, platinum flat screen, sixty inch instead of this old piece of junk.

"Oolong do something!" Bulma ordered the pig standing next to the tv, with his hand over the top of it, an angry look on his face too. "Fix it!"

The pig smacked it with all his might a few times, not that his gentle taps could even be called smacks, "C'mon you piece of junk! We wanna see what's goin' on out there!"

Behind the three of them, Ox-King and Turtle were once again back inside, the turtle having helped get rid of some of the firearms he feared so much and hated having around the house with so much fervor. Launch had cried herself into a stupor, then passed out with most of them relieved and eager to let her rest as few wished to deal with her anger. And none of them had ever seen her collapse due to grief or sadness, in some ways it was even more shocking than some of the best warriors dying, it just went to show how badly things were going.

"No use," Roshi stated giving up.

"Whaddya mean by that?" Oolong asked miffed, certain he could still smack or fix it back into working order.

"They've stopped broadcasting, which means something must have gone horribly wrong," Roshi guessed realizing if it wasn't because of the new tv then it must have been because of an even darker, possible truth; those working at the station on the field, must have either fled or lost their cameras because they were dead.

"Well that's just great, we're all gonna die."

"Can it, porcine. How dare you give up on them?" Bulma demanded not ready to give up any of the Z-Warriors, not so long as she still drew breath.

"Hey, what's that sound? Where's it coming from?" Roshi wondered looking around, only to realize it was a strange rattling sound that was coming from the stairs.

"Huh?!"

"Woah!"

The alarmed cries of Oolong and Bulma were due to the way Chi-Chi made her reappearance downstairs, in the chaos of Launch's arrival, breakdown and the break-down of the newstations she had opted to head upstairs in search of something, anything that could help in the battle taking place.

Certain and resolute that she had to do something, she wouldn't just lay around and wait while her only son went on to die out there. She had known because Goku had once let it slip, about several of the staches of weapons Launch had kept hidden in Kame House, so she had raided the room the young girl had once shared with the boys for awhile, and found all that she needed under the floor, beneath a matress and inside one of the walls.

"Uhh Chi-Chi, why are you-I mean where did get those guns?" Ox-King asked frightened, he hated guns by nature they were too violent for his taste these days, and so he could hardly be blamed for how his eyes bulged out, as he hadn't seen any in quite some time.

"Launch left them behind," Roshi croaked/guessed bewildered and terrified as he was sure that he had gotten rid of them all, even Krillin had tried to find them all, as they were no fonder of rifles or firearms than his former pupil was.

"I just can't stand it, I'm going to rescue Gohan." She stated to them fiercely raising her chin in utter defiance of anyone who would dare to have the temerity to stop her or try to talk her out of it.

"N-no Chi-Chi!" Her father pleaded not wanting to lose his daughter on top of all the friends and family he had already lost, it would kill him, "Please, stop and think about this!"

"I'm tired of thinking, it's time for action." Goku's fierce wife retorted stomping past her frightened father.

"I'm begging you Chi-Chi!" Ox-King shouted angrily at her in a voice he hadn't used in almost all his life save a few times, especially with her, the effect was ruined a few seconds later when he began begging again not that it slowed her down at all, "I'm begging you Chi-Chi, don't leave like this!"

"I have to protect him, he needs me." Chi-Chi snapped speaking over her father, as she stomped on by Oolong who stepped aside terrified.

"Calm down," Ox-King opted for another tactic, one that worked more often than not; being soothing and reasonable. "Get ahold of yourself."

"No! I'm going," She spat impatiently as Bulma gave her a sympathetic look unable to imagine what it must be like to be Chi-Chi in that moment.

"Well if you won't, then I will!" Ox-King growled furiously once more, as he grabbed his daughter in a full-nelson, being careful of the gun in her right hand as he did so, struggling to keep his struggling daughter in hand. _'She didn't used to be this strong, Goku why did you have to train her so much? Dear heavens, this is hard enough as it is, we don't need her to be stronger than me too, right now.'_

"What?! Put me down right now! I've got to help Gohan!" Chi-Chi roared impatiently struggling as best she could against her father's iron-like grip, she didn't tap all the Martial Arts techniques she knew to dislodge him, more out of fear of harming him as she never could hurt family even when in the grip of her most passionate anger. Struggling she began to kick about, as she screamed at her stubborn and terrified (for her not of her) father, as she did so, "He needs ugh, his mother!"

"No way," Ox-King refused desperately screaming at the same time as she kept repeating how much her baby needed her, "Please calm down, just listen to me, Gohan's a good boy and he'll be-" the rest of his words were blotted out by her own as she began crying again.

"C'mon, please! I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO FORGIVE MYSELF!" Her foot came up and knocked over one of Roshi's few momentos, a picture off of the set of cupboards next to them gripped by hysteria she lost track of the words she spat out, as she broke down. "WHAT KIND OF GRANDFATHER ARE YOU!?"

Bulma picked up the picture that had fallen brokenheartedly, even as Ox-King and his daughter continued to struggle against each other, "Come on Chi-"

"DOESN'T ANYBODY CARE?! UGGHAAAGH! LET ME GOOO!"

Bulma cradled it, it was taken right after the last World's Martial Arts Tournament, she remembered those times; Goku so confident and wise, Tien with his typical discipline and spirit, while there was also Krillin and Chaotzu grinning. With Launch (blue version) and her in the corner.

_'Just look at us, it's hard to believe how happy we were then,'_ Bulma noted to herself tears fluttering down from her eyes, as she ran a hesitant finger along Yamcha's face wishing he were still there for her. Her finger and eyes going from her Yamcha, to wise big brotherly and responsible Tien, to her little brother whom she had raised with more fiery love than she would have thought she could ever bear anyone other than Yamcha. _'Tien, Yamcha, and my little Goku, all grown up. I know you're out there somewhere. And I know that no matter what, you will always be here to save us.'_

* * *

He had crashed against a mountain and fallen to the ground, but as he struggled to his feet coughing and hacking, he wiped at the saliva and blood on his lips. Resolutely, he glowered at the huge Nappa, refusing to give in any longer.

_'I don't know how much more of this guy, I can take, dad where are you?'_ He asked himself mentally, mid-wipe with his left arm.

"Hahahaha! That's it, die like a man!" Nappa encouraged him proud despite himself, the kid may not have had much courage to begin with or much strength, but he was certainly going to keep Nappa's respect if he kept acting like this.

Nappa charged with a roar, attention focused entirely upon the boy so that he had forgotten about the midget, who acted like a slick well oiled machine, kicking him away harmlessly to the side with a well-placed kick that was as fierce as Krillin was short. It was followed by an even tougher right-hook to the jaw that won him a groan from Nappa.

But Krillin wasn't done yet, not by a long-shot. As his foe was sent flying away, he gave pursuit to his prey, who regained control of himself, flew back to an upright position and slammed down a fist with all his might at the ground where Krillin had previously been seen. This was no more than an after-image though, he discovered as he glanced to the right to find Krillin flipping over from one hand, to his feet, back onto one hand and then back to his feet, putting as much distance between them, now that he had Nappa's attention he could execute his final contingency.

"Hahaha, he's making you look bad, Nappa," Vegeta taunted his own man, thinking falsely to himself, _'I could do better against him.'_

"Like to see you do better, if it were you, you'd have already lost." Callion snapped blinking her eyes against the glare of the sun, as she yawned.

"Not for long!" Nappa snapped, having only heard Vegeta's comment and not Callion defending his honour. "He's mine!"

"Hahehehe, well I guess it's now or never," Krillin murmured as he smirked at Nappa and his own luck. Strictly speaking while this technique could have helped earlier, it was too draining.

This secret technique had been developed for this battle yes, but also to kill Piccolo ironically enough. It could kill anyone for that matter, but as things stood; it took too much energy, it left him fully drained and if it missed he'd be useless. End of story. He wouldn't even have the strength to move a muscle let alone fight.

Last time he had experimented with it, he had laid on the ground useless and exhausted for two whole days, it wasn't a pleasant memory and that was only three months ago, but it was powerful and the only thing he had left, under the circumstances.

_'I hate this move,'_ Krillin admitted to himself, it was why he hadn't used it yet, it was so beyond the pall useless if mistimed, and if it did indeed misse, it would actually be more harmful to him then to the enemy.

Raising his hand above his head, he groaned at the effort of having to charge it up, electricity immediately began to crackle right above his open right palm, as he strained to keep the destructive energies it required together, even as Nappa continued to charge straight at him with a roar tumbling from him.

Nappa could almost feel how destructive the disk shaped ki-technique that floated above Krillin's head and slowly took shape. He paused, unsure of himself for the first time in the fight.

Gohan stared, just as Callion sat up her Scouter going off even as she herself, felt fear building up in her gut, _'There's something wrong here.'_

_'Time to see if all that training paid off,'_ Krillin thought to himself struggling to hold it steady, and keep it from tearing his very body and soul apart.

He grinned savagely as he felt it hold, it was ready. "Here catch." He tried to balance it in order to aim it juuuust to say right, "Here! Destructo-Disk!"

Nappa grinned, really when would they learn that all their moves were useless, everything they did was futile. If the big green guy couldn't win, what chance did this twerp stand?

"Play catch? Sure, why not."

Vegeta was just about to open his mouth to shout at Nappa, in a blind panic but Callion beat him to it, eyes bulging out not at the Scouter, but at what she remembered these Earthlings had figured out how to do; develop cutting techniques to slice through ki and body alike. It was how they had defeated Radditz.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, DON'T TOUCH IT NAPPA!" She shrieked at him, sounding crazed as she got Nappa's dumbfounded and startled attention.

Nappa let out a small cry as he leant out of the way as best he could, with the disk slicing through a bit of his left cheek, but it was little more than a flesh wound. The real damage could be seen, in how the destructive disk sliced through the top of the nearby mountain as though it were nothing, sending the rest of the top tumbling and shattering onto the ground far behind Krillin.

"What a fool, that shot would have sliced him in two," Vegeta whined with his arms crossed once more, as he glared at Nappa, _'I would have easily seen through that and wouldn't have gotten a single cut on me.'_

"Damn what an attack, lucky for Nappa it missed," Callion murmured with a sigh of relief, _'These humans, are so fascinating I must put together my own technique such as that one, and like the one the Namekian conjured up earlier.'_

"S-sso close," Krillin breathed frustrated, couldn't anything go right today? Why did all of their efforts meet with disaster and failure? It wasn't fair!

"Hnnggggrrrrr! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! You-you cut me!" Nappa roared furiously as he wiped at the burning cut mark on his left cheek, wincing at the pain that came off from just touching the wound. "Oh, you've gone and done it now! You've scarred my beautiful face! And you're gonna pay for it!"

As he spoke, the brutish warrior charged up a ton of his energy into his right hand, ready to butcher this worthless punk of a human, just as he'd done to two of the little critter's worthless waste of space friends. How dare he harm his face!

"Now, now Nappa scars make a man you know," Callion yelled over to him, with a hand raised to cup her mouth, as she giggled a little, "I think you could use one or two more, to be honest."

But Nappa was beyond listening to his friends, he was beyond fury, beyond reason as Krillin wearily took up a sloppy combat position, too tired to really move out of the way, he awaited his certain death, "Here little man, catch this one!"

The gauntlet was thrown as was the blast, which Krillin somehow miraculously enough, attempted to dodge and mostly succeeded as he leaped out of the way of the explosion with his arms raised to defend himself, only for the backlash to hurt a lot more than he expected as he screamed, as he was burnt, broken and thrown around by it.

_'I'm sorry Goku, sorry I couldn't make it, and Roshi sorry I couldn't keep that promise to come home and inherit the school and settle down with a good woman. Goodbye,'_ Krillin thought calmly, he also apologized to his departed friends whom he couldn't properly avenge, he had tried his hardest and it was woefully inadequate.

These were his last thoughts just as he thrown back into the air, and as darkness consumed his being, he was certain it would be the last time he'd ever be alive in this life.

"Aahhh! Krillin no!" Gohan cried out to him.

Seeing him barely dodge it then loose consciousness, Nappa grinned it was time to finish this, he charged up his left arm to prepare a new blast to toss the midget's way, when the most unexpected thing happened just as he was preparing to throw the blast at Krillin, _'My respect little man, you're quite the warrior, can admit I never met anyone as tenacious or honourable as you, but sayonara.'_

"Sorry, but you lose!" He lost the ki blast, just as a blinding fiery pain struck him in the back.

The pure agony of it ripped through his brain, and made him scream loudly, as behind him Piccolo gathered himself back up, having just regained consciousness, panting he had thrown all that he into one swift ki blast.

"What in the-? Who did that?" Nappa groaned as he tried to instinctively grab at his injured back, but it was his middle and therefore beyond his reach.

Krillin meanwhile landed with a thud onto the grassy plain, still out like a light. Nappa turned with a growl escaping his lips as he glared with all the hate he could summon, he was rapidly losing interest in this 'game', as it was growing too much trouble to keep these guys alive in his view. "You Namekian piece of trash! You think you could shoot me in the back and get away with it? How dare you!?"

"I thought it was your face," Piccolo grunted back still panting, as he slowly rose to his feet, his back to Vegeta as Nappa scoffed, insulted and outraged by the insult.

"Why you-I'm gonna-"

Vegeta laughed yet again, this time at the insult to Nappa's face, "I don't know Nappa it's an easy enough mistake."

"Meh," Callion shrugged indifferently, it wasn't her problem if he got shot in the back there, so long as he lived what difference did it make to her? As to the insult it made her roll her eyes, Nappa wouldn't take this one lying down and was liable to whine for days about it.

"Bring it on!" Piccolo growled impatiently, unimpressed and untouched by the humour or the outrage of the moment. "I'm tired of you and your loud-mouth!"

"You arrogant fool! Your life is mine to take whenever I want! The only reason you're still breathing is because we need you to tell us about the Dragonballs, and once we have that you'll be nothing more than a memory!"

"You caught me by surprise, it won't happen again," Piccolo snapped irritated and tired of losing to this big hulking brute of a man, he was sick to death of him, it was time to finally put him down. He sensed it, before the others did. "What in the world am I sensing? There's a huge power-level that's heading straight for us!"

"Huh?" Was all Vegeta and Callion managed to get out, both noticing the female before the male, how the Namekian mentioned sensing a power-level.

"It's my dad, he's different somehow but I know it's him," Gohan stated feeling it for the first time in his life and yet he had always been able to sense it up until this past year. It was his daddy, that loving, kind and protective feeling that always washed over him when he was around.

He began sobbing, this time not out of grief, but out joy at the knowledge that his daddy was coming, that he'd come and make it all better like he always did, then they'd go back to being a family just like they were always meant to be.

"I-I knew he'd come save us," Krillin groaned from where he had fallen onto his back, too weak to move because of both his and Nappa's blasts, he couldn't even move his head. Yet relief surged in him, since they were boys they had always watched out for each other, and Goku wasn't gonna start now. "Get 'em Goku."

Nappa stared over his shoulder in bewilderment, unsure of what the human meant by those words, as he then glared Piccolo down, "Nah you're just trying to distract me! You can't sense power-levels without some sort of device!"

"Afraid you're wrong," Piccolo sneered back with a smirk on his lips again, as he enjoyed the fear and uncertain that had finally appeared in the giant Saiyan for the first time since the start of the battle.

"You're bluffing!"

"Oh? Wait and see."

Contrary to Nappa's words though, something had already gone off in Piccolo's mind, as something that had not been felt in a year was felt, as something in his heart, mind and soul clicked into place. It could mean only one thing, this powerful yet soothing presence could only be one person; Goku.

_'Nemesis, you're here, at long last except this time we'll fight side-by-side like we've longed for since we met,'_ Piccolo mused as he felt such a surge of longing and joy, that it surprised even him. Goku, his other half and rival was here, this time they'd put the enemy in their graves without any casualties on their side and then they'd fight each other once more. He could hardly wait.

"It's Goku all right, he's on his way here right now! And judging by the power I'm sensing, you Saiyans are in for the fight of your lives," Piccolo taunted them with a triumphant grin on his face.

_'This power is incredible, I'll do a quick match and comparison to Kakarot's ki-signature from last year,'_ Callion decided as she clicked at one of the buttons on her Scouter with a single callused finger.

"Wow! This is great, I knew my dad would make it here in time!" Gohan celebrated nearly jumping up and down in joy so overjoyed was he. "Hurry up daddy!"

"Yes, I love it," Krillin groaned out from haggard, bleeding and chapped lips and from an almost equally battered and hoarse throat.

"That's it! You're all a bunch of liars!" Nappa shouted as he looked around in an over-exaggerated way to prove his point, "Where is he? I don't see anyone! Vegeta, Callion," He called out to his friends, "What do you think?" Then more uncertainly though still bellowed out, "Is Kakarot really coming or not?"

Vegeta in the meantime had picked up his Scouter from off the ground, once more to stick onto his ear never mind that it had fallen ontot he ground and was therefore fairly dirty, he had more important things in mind than body hygiene. "Calm down Nappa, there's nothing to worry about, who cares anyway? Let him come."

His arrogant expression soon shifted to one of mortal terror and shock as his eyes widened, even while Callion looked increasingly unsure, though she maintained some composure contrary to her comrades, _'Match found! What the- So Kakarot really is back from the dead? And so powerful! Amazing!'_

Vegeta sucked in a terrified breath, with panic now setting in.

* * *

"I feel three huge power-levels," Goku ground out through bared teeth, "Two weaker ones, and one fading. That only makes six, something terrible is happening! Go Nimbus HURRY!"

* * *

"Vegeta! Hey Vegeta, snap out of it," Nappa called out to his panicked prince, this was a combat situation and panic would only hinder their efforts, "You look like you've seen a ghost or something, ahahaha. Come on, don't tell me there's some sort of truth to what these fools are saying? Cal, back me up."

"Something is definitely headed this way, but it can't be Kakarot," Vegeta exclaimed still shocked and fearful, "The power level's too high."

"It's Kakarot, I did a ki-match," Callion stated to them, as she added calmly none too worried by it, she was still stronger though if it did hide hidden strengths it would likely be in her power-block, therefore she'd be in for the fight of her life. She licked her lips, pleased, this was gonna be fun, "And he has a power-level of five-thousand. Sounds exciting if you ask me, finally a challenge."

"WHAT!? FI-FIVE THOUSAND!" Nappa shrieked in terror, horrified by the very idea as his brain froze, and panic began to set in. _'It just can't be! It's impossible!'_

_'There's no way, it could be Kakarot. How could he have become so powerful? Well, whatever it is, I have to be prepared for anything,'_ Vegeta thought to himself, it was unlikely that he'd be able to count on these two bumbling oafs who called themselves his subordinates. _'The people of this planet have ways of hiding their true powers, five thousand could just be the beginning.'_

"I-it can't be!" Nappa yelled refusing to believe it, as he scowled at them, "Your Scouters must be malfunctioning!"

It was Piccolo's turn to laugh cruelly at the suffering of someone else, drinking in the Saiyans' incompetent panicking like it was fine wine, these guys talked a good game, but they weren't very smart by nature in his view at least not when they panicked. "Still think that I'm bluffing?"

"Grraah, Nappa quickly kill them all," Vegeta shouted fearfully, mind awhirl as he panicked and attempted to strategize, "We can't let them join up with this fighter. If it is Kakarot, he has to know that we will not be opposed by anyone."

Everyone stared at Vegeta in shock. The first to react out of those who gaped at Vegeta, was Nappa who resorted to reason with his boss' irrational orders, "But-but what about the Dragonballs?"

"We don't need these fools to find those balls," Vegeta replied with a confident smirk, "It's all becoming clear to me; it must have been the Nameks who created the Dragonballs here on this planet. I've heard of the magic balls of Namek before, but I thought it was just a legend. It can't be some sort of coincidence that while searching, for these balls, we find a Namek."

Nappa grinned viciously, "I get it, the Namekian is all we need to create the Dragonballs. And planet Namek is loaded with 'em, and if this one doesn't want to cooperate, we could always find another Namekian that will." He then turned his eyes back onto Piccolo, "So you're expendable."

"Wait a minute," Callion stated as her mind raced to keep up, as she glowered at Vegeta, "What you're telling me is that, you dragged us across the whole universe… wasted a year of our lives, all for NOTHING!?" This last part was a roar as she finally hurtled herself back onto her feet, face red with rage.

"Vegeta, you idiot! I had my doubts about these stupid magic balls, wasted a whole day over this nonsense, and now you want us to go on YET ANOTHER WILD GOOSE CHASE?! How stupid can you freaking get? I refuse to obey such a stupid order," She all but shrieked out in a fury, turning to Nappa she shouted at him startling him, "Nappa, if this Namek did create those stupid Dragonballs, then we keep him alive and use them here. No sense, in wasting more time and energy going after those damnable balls again!?"

"But Cal-"

"YOU DARE DEFY ME, CALLION! KNOW THAT TO DO SO IS TO FORFEIT YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE!" Vegeta roared causing her to flinch, as she finally reined in her explosive temper, she didn't fully budge though, as she glared back. Fire met ice. Steel clashed. And it could have gone either way.

But the choice was taken out of their hands, as Gohan threw his hat into the ring/conversation, shouting out to Piccolo, "Hey Piccolo, leave now. I could take care of this bully until my dad gets here!"

"What?" Piccolo gasped shocked beyond almost any words, by the order.

"Hnh?" Nappa sighed as his eyes went into the left corner of his sockets, he had a good alternative to the Namekian, if that was too hot a button and likely to cause dissension, he knew what he could target given that even Callion was losing faith in the boy. And Vegeta did want him dead. Besides if she really liked this kid, he could pop out one or two like she said who'd be better, out of one of those human wenches, that'd shut her up for sure and keep to Vegeta's orders all in one happy compromise.

"Without you, then the Dragonballs will disappear; we won't be able to wish any of our friends back to life," Gohan continued spilling more information than Piccolo probably would have cared to share with the enemy.

_'So he's the creator of the Dragonballs? Then Vegeta was right for a while there, he must be kept alive if they're what we want, if for no other reason than to shut him up,'_ Callion thought to herself, as she glanced at Vegeta then back to Nappa. "All the more reason, not to make any hasty moves."

"Tch, thanks for your concern Gohan," Piccolo remarked sincerely, grinning back at him with immense confidence, "But I really don't think you can handle these guys alone."

"Just for that, you go first," Nappa informed the kid as he smirked at him from over his huge, muscled shoulder.

"I need, to help them," Noble Krillin grunted as he lifted a finger which was quite the feat considering what he had done and been through, "But how? I could barely move. Piccolo… Gohan…"

"Okay brat, you die! Aaaahhh!" Nappa shouted as he began to go after the kid, even Callion couldn't think of a reason he couldn't. The kid had throughout the entire battle, disappointed her, and ergo he had to die she supposed if he wasn't going to defend himself that is.

_'Gohan, NO!'_ Piccolo thought in a panic, as he began to race towards Gohan, blindly forgetting how he himself couldn't stand a chance against Nappa. All throughout his previous life, he had made orphans or slaughtered the children of grieving parents, yet ever since Goku had come into his new life, something had changed. No longer did Piccolo care to be so uncouth, so disohonourable, sure he had craved ruling the world more than anything.

_'But not a world without Goku or Gohan, they make it worth living,'_ He suddenly realized as he dashed forward, he had wanted to encourage humans to embrace the arts, culture and their more sophisticated instincts than the destructive ones he had always scorned. If that was evil, then why deny that dream? Or so he'd believed, but now he knew better, yes he still loved culture, sophistication but meaningless massacres didn't create, it only took away. And Goku and Gohan, they had given him so much.

Gohan, he was so small at first, still was and yet he had always loved Piccolo. Wanted to offer him so much, he had thought him a poor substitute for Goku, but he was different, in some ways worse, in others better. Gohan was not Goku, but he was still Piccolo's responsibility. _'I won't dishonour Goku any longer. I swear it to you Gohan, if you survive this, I won't ever strike you or slap, or berate or insult you ever again, my word is my bond and I've never lied to you, and won't start now. SO LIVE!'_

Much as Gohan probably should have stayed there, or how everyone expected him to panic or something, he didn't then. Instead something strange took over him, he felt his mind clear as he suddenly remembered the past year of training. Suddenly Nappa didn't look so big, so scary, he was much smaller and much lighter than a T-Rex, and hadn't Gohan eaten his whole tail over the course of months?

With something of a roar that would have put five years old Goku to shame, Gohan proved himself his father and mother's son in that very moment as he charged to certain death with a strength, confidence and skill neither parent had had at that age. Or any Saiyan had ever had when so young or possibly ever would.

And with a single kick to the jaw he sent Nappa flying back, stunned and in more pain than he'd ever felt all day long, he crashed into a nearby mountain his mind shorting out, even as Vegeta stared at where he'd flown, mind in denial. Even Callion gaped, as she stared mind unable to accept that Nappa had just flown past Piccolo, then her and Vegeta so swiftly both her and the prince had to struggle then she admitted to herself (though he didn't to himself) that she had even seen Gohan move there for a minute.

Gohan panted from the exertion, more winded from the great cry he'd let out, as he stared defiantly at where Nappa had crashed into, _'That'll teach you to call my daddy a coward! No one calls him that, EVER!'_

"I-I-I don't believe it!" Piccolo stuttered heart pounding in his chest as he stared, his mouth dropping to the ground as he remained glued to where he stood, eyes on where Nappa had landed.

"G-Gohan was that you?" Krillin asked unable to see anything, having finally succeeded in turning himself over onto his chest as he tried to see but couldn't and had to try and sense despite being too exhausted to do even that.

"Amazing," Callion breathed as her Scouter went off,_ '4,500?! WHAT? How did he climb so high so quickly? It takes years and we pure-bloods still can't normally make it so high without nearly killing ourselves a million times over, year after year! Who is this kid?'_

Nappa leapt out of the broken remains of the mountain he'd been tossed into, head pounding, skull throbbing and his jaw aching, he could barely see straight let alone think anymore. He had almost never felt anything like it, that kick had struck definitively harder than any punch or kick Vegeta or Turles or almost even Dodoria that one time struck him.

When he landed he trembled with pure rage, that had hurt harder than any blow any child should ever be able to dole out to a great, high-classed fighter such as Nappa. He growled, and panted as he trembled, raising his pain-stricken gaze to glare down Gohan, "You! I'll kill you!"

Rocks and pebbles began to defy Newton's most well-known law, Nappa instantly charged up his ki into his left arm as he had done before, with Krillin this time he was faster and charged up more, a testament to his rage. In fact, he was about to throw all that he had into one last blast, all 6,000 of his power level would be directed at the shrimp.

"NAPPA! DON'T! Don't you see? I was right!" Callion yelled out to him, though it did little to enhance his mood, if anything it simply worsened it as joy was the last thing he wanted to hear, with his pounding skull and aching jaw, she went on, "Don't kill him, Nappa we need him! If you want your freedom and to rule the universe, think! Not just Frieza but Cooler will kneel at our feet!"

Gohan and Piccolo didn't hear her either, as they trembled where they stood, having never in all their lives felt so much energy in so small a place. It was horrible, and neither knew what to do, other than to stand there and gape as Nappa ignored his comrade. He was now firmly in the Vegeta camp of the argument with this kid; he had to die. Not for the reasons Vegeta deluded himself into believing about torturing Kakarot, but because Nappa hated him and knew one thing even Callion couldn't piece together; he was too dangerous to live. Too uncontrollable to keep for themselves.

His Break Cannon would make short work of the pipsqueak once and for all. Piccolo in the meantime gasped as he felt the icy claw of death creep up on them, as his sluggishly tired and overwhelmed mind suddenly piece it together where that blast would soon be headed towards.

"Nappa don't be a fool!" Callion shrieked, beginning to advance towards her only remaining friend in the universe.

* * *

It was now. He wouldn't outlive the next two minutes. Kami had long forseen it, a wise and pure-hearted old man, Kami had lived for three long millennia, and had never once done anything to serve himself, never once thought of himself, though he'd disagree.

"It's time," He said calmly, not the slightest bit hesitant or afraid, if anything he feared and worried more for his two adoptive children; Mr. Popo and wise Korin. If he could only have done more, or continue to do more for them, for Goku for repaying an old man in so many ways (and also because Kami thought of him as his own beloved third-born after Popo and Korin). And the rest of the world too, but such wishes were beyond him now.

_'I'm sorry, humanity I wish I could have assisted you more or given you more hope in the darkest of hours, or loved you better, but I was naught but a selfish stupid old man, please accept a humble old fool's last apologies…'_

_'And Piccolo? Thank you, for making my only physical legacy, a worthier one than I could have imagined imparting… saving even a single child's soul, makes me so proud and happy for you, especially since it is my beloved boy's own son… thank you… and I'm so sorry for all of your pain, and misery Piccolo, I wish… I wish I could have forgiven you sooner, and become a father to you, as you deserved, but I was selfish… Selfish and evil, I am so sorry and grateful…'_

* * *

The blast that burst forth from Nappa's extended hand could have smashed a planet to bits, could have pulverized any other child into pieces like they were nothing, leaving exactly that behind.

Gohan stood transfixed, scared and unable to think as all he could think about was his mommy and daddy, and grandpa, wishing they were here to protect him or even kindly Kami, whom Goku had always spoken of as though he were his own father or grandfather in one.

Krillin cursed himself, weeping at his own weakness and wishing he could have been stronger, _'It should be me! Kill me, not him! Anyone but Gohan! Not my nephew, PLEASE! I beg of you!'_

"Nappa, you fool!" Was heard from behind the Saiyan warrior as Callion began to dash forward, but aware that she'd be too late, to save their new secret weapon, and furious to have had her orders defied, the child was incidental who cares about him? Besides, he was a weapon to be used and manipulated for her benefit, first against Vegeta, then Frieza, then Cooler. _'The universe was nearly ours, Nappa!'_

None were more affected in that moment though by Piccolo, never mind that the Dragonballs could have brought back Gohan in a year. Never mind that, never mind life itself. Goku's son, his pupil, their shared heir was about to die.

No, Gohan was so much more than that. He was Piccolo's everything, his child, his friend and his only believer outside his other best friend Goku.

He remembered then how small, and frightened the boy had been when they first met, how Piccolo resented and hated him, yet how gentle and pure he was.

_"Where am I? Where's my daddy?" _He'd asked Piccolo looking to him for comfort, even as he fought down tears of loneliness and fear.

Then there was later; with those apples Piccolo had gathered just south of their current position, _"This is sour!" _the boy had complained then.

His laughter after a day's beating/training from Piccolo, or how he'd smile up and look so grateful and happy, whenever Piccolo told him late-night stories of Goku and their battles, of how great the mighty Goku was. That smile which had warmed him, just as Goku's had when they first stood across from each other in the Finals.

_'I beat you… I derided you… I hated you…'_ He thought to himself as he remembered those times, shame, guilt and self-loathing filled him as the dam broke and he panicked, unable to imagine, unable to tolerate a life without Gohan. He had had to live on without Goku, and it was torture, but to give up Gohan would be worse._ 'You healed my wounds… praised me… loved me… Gohan, I am so sorry… Goku, it should have been you who killed me for my hubris, for my abuse of your precious son… but this will have to do for penance.'_

He would not let Gohan die. In a life full of evil, of sadism and of worse cruelty than any even Vegeta and Nappa could imagine. Piccolo had wrought some good at last, had loved something other than himself at long last. He couldn't poison this. He'd poisoned everything else in his, and his two only loved ones' lives, he couldn't let this happen.

_'Gohan… NO…!'_ He thought as he ran, throat squeezed tight and heart stopped in his chest as he did so, _'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'_

_"Until now, training you was out of vengeance,"_ He'd whispered one starry night weeks ago, as he reached down to caress and ruffle those dark tresses so like Goku's so like his rival/brother, while Gohan slept, _"You might even be worthy now, of being my foe. But something's changed. No matter what happens to you Gohan… I will always be there to protect you."_

Piccolo threw himself into the way, in the ultimate act of love and atonement, to the open-mouthed shock of Krillin who could finally see having crawled closer, and as Gohan stared up stunned at him. _'My friend, I love you… My nephew, my apprentice, my best friend… I hope this is enough to atone… not just to you or Goku, but to everyone… I'm sorry…'_

Pain ripped through his entire being, as he endured the blast, using all of his life-energy, all of his immense power and Kami's, to simply stop the blast, to stand there and shield Gohan. It wasn't that he knew he could do this, it was that he had to. He had to try, he had to use everything, all of his boundless potential and strength and will, to shield the most important person in his life, the one piece of good left in him.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Piccolo screamed as the blast tore his ki and body to shreds, ripped his very being apart as though it were nothing.

The very earth was rocked, just as the heavens were too from the power of this fearsome blast, all but unforeseen in might in all of Earth's long, long history. Nappa panted as the smoke filled the area, with even Vegeta and Callion gaping at how much power had been utilized and what had just been done, neither aware of the sacrifice that Piccolo had just made.

_'He's dead for sure.'_ Nappa thought gleefully in triumph, his jaw was already starting to stop aching, this had to be good, as he began to shudder from a bit of pain-filled laughter, full of joy at finally being rid of that little brat, only for the smoke to start dissipating and for the shuddering yet still standing figure to be revealed, as none other than the Namekian. Nappa stared, _'I threw everything into that blast! How is he still standing?!'_

Piccolo shuddered in pain. Then the trembling began to set in, as he struggled to remain standing, but it was a losing battle, and he knew it was not one he could win.

Gohan at first felt relieved to still be alive, and gaped up at his hero and mentor, who quaked and shuddered yet stood there remaining as eternal and as strong as ever.

Yet something was different, something had changed, Piccolo was also bleeding and looked like he was in more pain than the boy could ever imagine, as he suddenly realized elatedly that his friend had just saved him. "Pi-Piccolo?"

"It's okay kid," Piccolo grunted to his friend, a smile on his lips as he panted and struggled for air, how could something everyone took for granted be so damn hard? _'He's fine, if he can worry about me! I did it! I did it! He's safe, I will die honourably after-all! It's more than what I deserve…'_

"N-no sweat," He stated trying to sound blazé, about it. "Hahaugh."

He began to chuckle only to groan as his ripped and destroyed ribs and shattered right lung protested against this ridiculous action.

He finally fell. Tragic and horrible, as someone so valiant, so courageous should never fall so quickly, and into such an abyss of pain and nothing, yet he did so.

Gohan and Krillin gaped at this unbelievable and horrible sight, it was impossible, for who could ever strike down the mighty and terrible Demon King Piccolo? He was so strong, so vibrant and powerful, that it just didn't seem possible, and yet it was.

_'Then that means, Kami… nooo, not him too, if Piccolo dies then Kami will die too, but they don't deserve that…' _Krillin thought as he realized with a plunging sensation in his torn guts, that their one hope for reviving everyone, and that wise, kind and gentle protector of all humanity, would all vanish in the blink of an eye.

"Nooo, you can't be hurt Piccolo, you just can't." Gohan whimpered helplessly as he crawled on over to where his mentor had fallen, he wouldn't, he couldn't accept this. "We need you!"

"I'm-I'm not gonna make it," Piccolo told him bluntly with everything he had left in him, using all his strength and will to speak some final words, to impart something to his beloved apprentice. Gohan deserved that much. "It's up to you, you must stop them."

"Piccolo! Hold on, just try to hold on just a little longer! My dad's coming, he'll save us just hold on…" Gohan whimpered and pleaded tears staining his eyes as his heart broke within his bosom, he tried to shake Piccolo as though that would somehow convey to him some energy, or remind his body to keep on breathing, keep on living. _'Please, you're my best friend, don't die Piccolo! I love you!'_

"Aww too bad, I wanted to take my time with the Namek, oh well, I can still have fun with the kid," Nappa remarked to himself.

Behind him Callion stared, struck by this scene and remembering the morning after her first transformation, _"Please, Ban! Wake up! You can't be dead, pleeeeaaasseee!"_ she had wept for hours, pleading and sobbing, all to no avail.

_'The dead remain dead, and the living go on to suffer, better he learns that now than later,'_ Callion thought to herself coldly as she banished all memories of Ban from her mind, as she stepped up to the giant in front of her, furious with him for defying her express orders and wishes.

"Hey what's the big idea, you big limp gorilla!? What did I tell you about killing the damn brat?! He's mine," Callion roared in a fury, as Nappa became sheepish.

"I was just, um, well you see- I just," He tried to explain himself, proving the old adage about the fury of women being more fiercesome and terrifying than any man or weapon could be, and that all men fear the women in their lives when enraged, all true.

* * *

_'Something's not right! One of the big power levels I sense, is fading fast!' _Goku realized in horror, terror filled him, _'They're in trouble!'_

"Krillin, Gohan I'm coming!" He prayed it wasn't Gohan, he'd die again, this time a worse death if anything happened to his baby. Never mind Dragonball revivals, he couldn't bear it if the boy he loved so much and doted on so much were to perish. _'Life wouldn't be worth living anymore!'_

* * *

"Kami what is it?" Popo asked of his suddenly pain-stricken friend who had suddenly doubled-over in pure agony, as he struggled to breath.

"Piccolo's life-force is fading away, and mine along with it," Kami explained swiftly, using his own last bits of will and strength to murmur to his own surrogate son/best friend before he perished and faced judgement before Yama, he trembled and shuddered in agony, "Goku must not have gotten there in time, when we cease to exist, so will the Dragonballs on this world. But, legend tells of others on Namek, find them and use them to wish us back…"

This last bit was a plea, not for his own sake but for the victims of the Saiyans, as Kami had heard Vegeta's words and considered them quickly, his own mind honed from millennia and vastly swifter than that of the Saiyan prince's, as he panted and began to fade from sight and existence on the mortal plain.

"Wait Kami!" Popo cried out, tears blurring his eyes as he reached a hand forward, to his father whom he had never lived a day without in one hundred years, "Please!" The next part came out in a far more pleading tone than Gohan's had been, as old Popo pleaded sobbing heavily, "Don't leave me!" 'I'll be all alone, again…'

"Goo…d…bye… Popo… remem…ber…" Kami pleaded, before finally vanishing.

"Kami? KAAAAMMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

* * *

Gohan had by now turned Piccolo over onto his back, in a vain effort to try and force him back onto his feet, Piccolo chuckled painfully at the gesture and at the great cosmic joke that was his life and now his death. "It's ironic isn't it? After all my years, of training to defeat your father, I go out like this; trying to save you, his son."

Piccolo coughed and rasped, then panted barely able to get enough air into his broken remaining lung, Gohan leant forward as heartbroken and in tears as the sobbing Popo over on the Lookout, "Piccolo…?"

The aforementioned Namek regarded Gohan with great tenderness, his eyes softened by love for the first time in either of his lives, "You're one of the two only real friends that I've ever had… I wanna thank you…"

Though he tried not to, he was too weak not to begin weeping, as pathetic and greedy as it was, Piccolo wanted then to live longer. Just a bit longer, he knew he didn't deserve it and that he should die for all of his many sins. But he just wanted a few more moments, a few seconds, a few days more with Gohan, it was too much to ask for and it was dishonourable not to mention pathetic of him. Yet he couldn't help himself.

"Piccolo hold on!" Gohan pleaded once more, sobbing and pressing his head into the cleft of his chin and throat.

_'For you to love me so strongly, is more than I could ever want or even deserve, thank you,'_ Piccolo thought more than gratified, he was moved and beginning to sob brokenly himself, not just for Gohan or himself, but for all those he had done this to. _'How could I have made so many orphans? By Kami, the guilt I can't bear it! I've destroyed so much, ruined so much! Those children… I destroyed them! To tear such love apart, why did I do it?! Where was the honour, the fairness in what I did? I'm… sorry…'_

"I still remember the first day I brought you here," Piccolo breathed, in tears, "So small, so helpless… you've changed so much since then, the harder things got the more determined you became… the more dangers you faced, the stronger you grew as a warrior…"

The memories of those days, of the past year flowed freely through his mind, and each one crystalized physically by a stream of tears, "I know I was hard on you, but it was for your own good."

Then he said it, the words he'd been holding back for a year, the words he was always afraid of uttering because they made him weak, but in reality, he felt stronger for them. "You're like the son… I never had…" _'I'm sorry everyone, forgive a foolish and evil old man… I'm ready to suffer all that you can inflict upon me as is your right, but just give me a few more seconds with Gohan… Then I'll be able to endure… all of it… all of the pain and hatred, I inflicted so selfishly upon all of you…'_

"I'm proud of you…" Piccolo murmured sincerely, with all of his passion, all of his love and all of his life and soul.

"Noooo, pleeeaaasee," Gohan begged brokenly, sobbing and weeping as he wrapped his arms around Piccolo's majestic head, he needed him, he loved him. How could he be taken away from him? How could anyone hurt the kindly Piccolo?

"G-goodbye, my friend… li… ve… onnnn…" Piccolo breathed with his last breath, broken as he begged for only one boon, for the first time in all of his lives.

And so on a day of nothing but tragedies, full to the brim with them. The noble and heroic, and redeemed Demon King Piccolo, passed on.

There was a silence that followed. That was the first thing Gohan noticed. The silence, the quiet, the finality of this death. He knew then he could never go back to wanting to be some petty doctor then, he'd spend the rest of his life fighting, wanting to keep this pain away from others. How could anyone bear it? To not fight, to not honour this moment, to not keep protecting others, would be the height of selfish evil on his part, not if he couldn't save but one soul.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He shrieked to the heavens in denial, refusing to accept this, refusing to tolerate this. He wouldn't let Piccolo die, it wasn't his time yet. It just couldn't be!

"G-Gohan?" Krillin groaned out, hoping to be able to supply some comfort, even though he was too tired and broken physically to do much more than try and crawl, or groan in pain. _'All my ribs are shattered, and my legs too, just freaking great as useless as ever.'_

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gohan shrieked to the heavens, sobbing and raging to the surprise and bewilderment of all those watching him.

Vegeta was smiling, enjoying every second and thinking the boy looked stupid mourning for anyone other than himself, _'You'd never see me mourn for anyone, I'm not so weak or stupid. Wait-what's, oh my-Nonono!'_

"What in the-By Ban's beard!" Callion uttered just as shocked, and almost as frightened as she stared as her Scouter began to read Gohan's accelerating/rising power-level.

"Huh? Alright, let's goooo!" Nappa said not realizing just how things had changed battle-wise, as there was no way he could have possibly known that Gohan was almost at his own power-level.

"MASENKOOO-" Gohan shouted in reply, as something suddenly felt off to Nappa, it was as though he could already feel something different, it was like there was something more to the boy. He could feel the anger, feel the pain, and it almost felt raw, the power that is. He suddenly had a sinking feeling in his gut that something was wrong this time.

"Hneh? Gohan?" Krillin gasped, as he felt it too; the sheer weight of Gohan's power was more than any Krillin had ever felt from anyone besides Nappa or even Goku. Yet to feel so much in so small a body was jarring. _'How is this even possible? Holy heck!'_

"That brat's power is over 2,000-hold on!" Vegeta gasped uncertainly, as he waited once more for the numbers to cool down, but they continued going until they were more than twice that amount. "It's over 3,000."

"No, it's still goi-it's at 4,000!" Callion read just as shocked. "Nappa, this one's much more powerful than he appears! Wait, still going-5,000 get out of there!"

But Nappa wasn't listening to them, as he took a step forward, ready to meet this challenge and stake his life on it.

"Here I come boy!" Because that was what it meant to be a Saiyan and a warrior for that matter, to stake your very being in every strike, in every battle, it was what Nappa lived for and always had, and always would.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Gohan roared.

"UUUUUURAAAAAUUUUHHHHHH!" Nappa met his roar with just as much leonine intensity and regalness, as he plunged his left hand forward into the abyss of death, not about to run from it, but ready to challenge, defy and wrestle it down no matter the odds. _'Who cares, if it is at 5,000. I've fought guys twice as powerful and I'm still here, so there. What point is there in living as a coward anyways?'_

Somehow though, he managed to punch it away, into a mountain miles away needless to say, there was nothing left of it just as was the case with the others. Yet the first thing to strike Nappa after that blast did, was; his left hand ached, and he could not feel a thing.

_'Is it broken?'_ he was suddenly awed and humbled by that blast and by the effect it had even as he bent the fingers and tested his arm, realizing that, no it was merely numb nearly broken but not quite.

_'Amazing, he's a true warrior, and at such a young age,'_ Nappa mused, he had to admit the kid was more than worthy of respect no, admiration even. He had thrown it all into that blast, and though he couldn't have known he'd succeed, he hadn't cared. _'Kid has more honour and Saiyan pride and deserves more than anyone could ever put into words. Truly Bardock's grandson, is worthy of being his grandfather's descendant… nay, truly Bardock were he still alive would have to struggle to be worthy of being this child's grandfather…'_

He grasped his hand as Gohan panted, stared and gave up then just as Krillin also gaped, "Oh, man! Can anything kill this guy?"

"Hey, not too bad kid! That made my arm numb! Uhurahahaha, alright then! It's my turn," Nappa stated as he hugged his arm closely to his chest with his other arm.

"Wait, Nappa! This proves all my theories, five thousand! Think a little!"

"This is a battle of survival, Cal and I'm not ready to die yet," Nappa spat out over his shoulder at her, this shut her up, since though she could be thick-headed she couldn't deny that inherent truth, nor would she put his life at risk so fool-hardily not after all that he'd done for her.

"Aahh, that one shot must have drained all of his energy, his power level has returned to normal," Vegeta noted smirking forgetting his own earlier fear, and the little detail that he had had less than a third of 5,000 in terms of power-level at twice that age.

"Or whatever you call normal about him," Callion replied, earning a slight nod from him and Nappa as they quietly agreed with her about the half-breed's genius.

"They're too strong," Krillin moaned in defeat, "We just can't stop them!"

* * *

As everyone in Kame House struggled to hold down the strongest woman, last checked at 133 in power level (recently risen due to recent exercises and training to try and kill Piccolo to reclaim her baby, a few months back, all the way up to 168 at its lowest, at max it could rise to almost 300).

The door was thrown open just as Bulma screamed out, and as Chi-Chi finally discharged a few rounds, with Baba noting as the bullets nearly struck her only to fade from existence thanks to her neatly timed magic, "Nice to see you too." She gasped in relief, stunned by the welcome she received from her brother's adoptive family.

"It's Baba!" Everyone yelped, guilt ridden for nearly killing the kindly old witch.

"I've come to tell you that, Goku's returned and will soon join the others in battle," Baba reported happily, to the relief and joy of all those gathered.

"You mean, he's really back?" Bulma asked hopefully.

_'Goku, thank goodness,'_ Roshi thanked heavens as he sighed in relief, maybe his boy and Gohan would yet live to see the end of the day, _'Please let Krillin live, I couldn't survive without him, my boy… just hold on a bit longer, I know you can… You are more like Mutaito than I ever could be…'_

"I know, let's see how things are going on over there, by looking into Baba's crystal ball," Oolong suggested to the cheers of his family.

"You swine, this isn't a television! This crystal ball is sacred!" Baba argued, unaware of what kind of battle she was trying to fight, as there were two women, one conscious and one unconscious inside who would kill her for not showing her what they needed to see.

"Grab it!" Chi-Chi snapped as she grabbed a hold of both the ball and Baba, to force them into the house, not letting this opportunity go.

"Hrrnnn, man what a nightmare, what's up guys? Why's that old witch here?" Launch asked as she finally regained consciousness, soon enough she was informed of recent developments and was more than happy to help 'convince' Baba to help them see what was happening with their friends.

* * *

"Huff, huff, don't worry Piccolo… I won't let you down," Gohan vowed as he panted, having used all that he had in that last Masenko, he knew he was to die and he felt no shame; he had fought with honour at the last bit of it, and if he were reunited with Piccolo he knew he'd be proud.

"Gohan, run away! Hurry!" Krillin yelled as he drew upon all that he had left, to shout at the boy, as he heard the big Saiyan cackle as he approached the distracted child. "Leave me and get out of here!"

"Heheha, that's right, run away and hide, huhahaha," Nappa mocked.

"No way, Piccolo's counting on me," Gohan refused as he turned his head forward again, in slight defeat and slight exhaustion, he sagged a little his knees bending a tad.

"G-g-g-Gohan nnnoooo," Krillin moaned as he saw the gargantuan Nappa loom over his nephew, it was too horrible, too terrible to even imagine and yet it was fact. Gohan was to die in the next few seconds.

"Huehahaha, nice knowing ya kid!" Nappa snarled as he raised one large booted foot above the kneeling child, "There'll always be a soft spot at the bottom of my boot, for ya! Hehaha, so loong!"

"Nappa," Callion snarled in turn beneath her breath, still annoyed by this turn of events, she was still sure somewhere in her heart that, she could mold Gohan into a worthy Saiyan if given half the chance.

Gohan closed his eyes, scared despite himself. _'I don't wanna die yet, not before I get to see Mommy and Daddy or even Grandpa one last time!'_

Faster than anyone could see, faster than Vegeta or Callion could have even imagined then, a figure moved forward, rolling beneath the leg and grabbing Gohan in order to take him to safety.

"Huh!?" All three Saiyans gasped as they stared and searched for where the boy had disappeared to, all of them turning their heads from side to side, yet unable to locate him.

"He just-vanished!" Callion gasped startled.

A small golden cloud floated along, unbeknownst to them all with only Krillin seeing it at first, as it slowly lowered itself. Only the pure of heart could ride it, and who could be purer than the son of Goku, Gohan himself?

The second one to notice was Nappa, as he felt something behind him it was the kid, he could almost see him in his head as he turned, glanced over his shoulder and gasped too. "Hey, where did that thing come from?"

Gohan squeezed one eye open, unsure if he was still alive then jumped as he realized what it was, he was seated upon, and who it was the ever dutiful servant and friend of which could only mean one thing. Goku had at long last arrived. "Nimbus?"

"How did he? What the?" Nappa asked overwhelmed and stunned, as he stared at the child unable to move or understand how in the heck the kid was a; still alive, and b; sitting on a cloud.

Vegeta gasped, then out of the corner of his eyes he noticed a floating orange-clad figure in the air, looking up he realized who it could be.

"Kakarot!" Callion gasped stunned, having seen him too, but she was shocked by something else, "But he looks just like… so they were cousins, wow the similarity is uncanny."

"What is that thing?" Nappa wondered meanwhile, still fixated on the Nimbus cloud. "What's going on?"

Ever so silently, yet swiftly Goku zoomed down to the ground, landing with a gracefulness any of the Saiyans would have envied had they seen it, with Nappa feeling something he turned his head to stare and gape at the figure as startled by the resemblance to Turles as Callion was, but he was also speechless at another comparison one could make; Bardock.

"Uaaahh! Daddy!" Gohan yelped happily, happier than he'd ever been in all his life, his daddy was there, everything was going to be just fine, now! _'See, my daddy's not a coward, I knew he'd come! That'll show those big bullies!'_

"It-it's Goku!" Krillin whispered, tears forming in his eyes as he laid eyes upon a figure he hadn't seen in a year, almost as happy as Gohan, yet just as incapable of keeping tears from sloppily flowing down his face.

For no reason, other than the need to bar and keep Kakarot's powerful presence on him, not unlike how a child might whine to keep all of their daddy's attention on them, Vegeta flew past Nappa to stand next to Piccolo's charred corpse and to glower haughtily at the third-class born Saiyan, Gohan already forgotten by him as he scowled at Radditz's brother.

Callion didn't bother advancing, instead she waited for the other third-class Saiyan to make his move,_ 'I knew he was the one with that amazing power-level, but how did he get so powerful in under one year?'_

If looks could kill, all three of the Saiyan invaders, Nappa especially would be dead on the spots where they stood. Goku's glare was so ferocious, so full of righteous indignation that each one of them blinked in startled uncertainty.

All Goku knew was that, they had just tried to kill his son, his most important person (along with Chi-Chi, of course). And that would not, and could not be tolerated, not now, not ever.

The first to regain his composure, Vegeta was the first to regain his arrogance too, as he sneered at the unimpressed stone-faced fighter before him, "Welcome, Kakarot." He added gleefully, unaware that he was all but tipping his executionor for a clean-cut by adding so much salt on an injury, "So nice of you to join us!"

This was because Vegeta was the least aware of just how badly this could go, how badly such an angered warrior and indignant a father, an attentive and loving one such as Goku could be. Nappa and Callion were certainly wiser though, as they gaped both aware that none of them had even seen Goku move to save his son, and yet it had to be him.

_'He was so fast, and there's something not right, I got this sick nauseous feeling in my gut… Kakarot is far, far, far more powerful than even maybe Bardock could have ever imagined,' _Nappa mused terrified of Radditz's younger brother, for the moment.

_'Something's wrong, wh-what if he's stronger than me? I know he's smart, and now pissed off cause of our stupidity, but now-could he be strong enough to take us all on?'_ Callion asked herself, as she felt the nausea not quite as strongly as Nappa but still fairly strongly, start to climb through her as she tremble a little.

"Weeelll, I was beginning to think especially after your little family reunion with Radditz," Vegeta spat, saying Radditz's name as though it were some sort of insult rather than the name of his longtime supporter and victim. "Did you two have fun catching up?"

"G-Goku," Krillin said happily, trying to rise but unable to move even a muscle, at the same time that Vegeta scowled at the temerity of Goku for refusing to dignify his petty words with so much as his attention. "You're here!"

"My dad's back," Gohan murmured crying at the same time as Krillin had begun to.

Nappa scowled, as Vegeta continued pestering Goku for his attention, not unlike a needy child, with Goku unlikely to treat him as one, as Nappa and Frieza had all the prince's life. "I see, not one for words eh Kakarot? Well, you're just in time, we were getting tired of beating on these so-called fighters, over and over again. What a joke!"

Goku continued to ignore him, as stone-faced as Piccolo could be when angered. Stepping past him, and between him and Nappa, towards Piccolo's corpse without fear.

_'He's not afraid? He's completely changed, from the recording from a year ago,' _Callion noted as she studied the confident man who stood before her, stunned by how tall and quiet he was in stark contrast to the hysterical, and terrified father recorded on her Scouter.

Nappa stared, stunned and alarmed as Goku bent over to check to see if his old friend and rival was truly dead, needing to confirm it for himself. The giant Saiyan gaped, _'He's so calm, so unworried, I've never seen a Saiyan so unhurried! And yet, this feeling in my gut is worsening, what is this?'_

"Piccolo…"

They had met when he was little over twelve years old, ten years ago. To say those words was nothing. But to actually, live them was to endure so much, to suffer and enjoy so much more. From the moment they met, they hated each other, mirror opposites, both aliens and yet both designated into key roles on Earth. One Messiah, the other into the role of Demon King. Equals. Rivals.

Yet, when they met again four years later, at the tournament both stronger, changed for the better. Goku was a young man of sixteen, Piccolo a young man grown from a monster, into a man of honour and dignity. Neither hated each other, not truly anymore. Kami had taught Goku to forget past hates, and reminded him that love and forgiveness were greater forces than any petty grudge or something as puny hate could ever be, just as Piccolo was stunned by the kindness and the instantaneousness of their bond.

_'You spared all the people in the stands, all the people in the city, refusing to harm anyone except myself that day. And then, you later refused to even do that much, after I helped save you from Kami and Tien. Heck, you forfeited the match and though you had a million opportunities to hurt my friends and my family, you never once even considered doing such a dastardly thing.'_ Goku reflected, he too had felt the love Piccolo felt, a brotherly bond that had grown from competition and from believing in the best in each other.

They were flip-sides of the same coin. Eternal and ultimate rivals. For one to exist, so too must the other. They had known each other so long, and been as night and day to each other, always chasing after each other's shadows.

_'Piccolo, nemesis it-it can't-it is, I have to accept it, I'm sorry I arrived so late I'll make it up to you somehow. I don't know how, but I will,'_ Goku vowed forcing the tears away from his eyes, he would need to be steely to face these monstrosities who had the gall to kill such an honourable man.

And what was worse, was that he had also lost one of two surrogate fathers he had gained over the course of his young life; Kami. Wise old Kami, who had never hurt anyone, and who would never hurt anyone in his entire life, gone. In one cruel flash, he was silenced as though he never mattered.

_'Well, he mattered to me!'_ The ferocity of the thought, and the sheer force behind the feelings of anger surprised even him. Who could even dream of hurting Kami whether advertent or not? To hurt him meant crushing poor sensitive Popo's heart, and to deny the world it's finest Guardian and murdering the greatest father figure to have ever lived.

"He was protecting me, he saved me," Gohan explained in a hoarse voice to his father as he withdrew his stretched-out hand from Piccolo's throat.

A slow glance to the left revealed another victim, another casualty of Goku's slowness, of his failure; Tien Shinhan. Goku bared his teeth in grief and outrage.

"Tien…"

Tien who had had so much to live for, who was so young and so full of promise. A man who had always put others before himself, always walked the way of love and light, rather than hate and darkness. A man who forgave so little about himself.

A brother, Goku had grown up with, admiring and aspiring to, as no one was nobler, wiser or gentler at their cores than honourable Tien. Ever since they had met the two were rivals, maybe not nemesises as Piccolo and Goku were, maybe not twins as Krillin and he were, but nonetheless he was just as surely his brother, as they were.

_'Tien! How could anyone ever consider harming you? To harm you, is to harm all that is good and honest in all of us!'_ Goku thought to himself in horror and disgust, this was proof of evil, true evil.

Tien, he remembered had refused to fight dirty, beaten him with honour and then given him the kindest, warmest smile ever. He had when the time came, vowed to avenge Krillin just as he would Chaotzu simply out of honour and respect for Goku. This promise, this attempted deed meant more than anyone could imagine to Goku.

He also remembered, late-night conversations, all about martial-arts, about love, about old stories. Swapped stories of mischief, of Krillin and Yamcha, of how Tien despaired of their mischief yet loved them for it.

_"Don't worry Goku, I'll always have your back,"_ He'd assure the younger man, always with that loving grin on his face and that look of brotherly love, that always made Goku try harder, aspire higher and work more all to always be able to receive his big brother's approval, because he needed it in order to keep breathing.

_'I let you down! I let you die! I may as well have been the one to chop your arm off and squeeze the life from you! Oh, Launch! Chaotzu! I failed you both! All the grief, all the sorrow, all the empty days ahead, unable to wish his great life back, it's all my fault!'_ Goku realized with a start, in Chaotzu he had a younger brother and nephew in one, and in Launch he had two sisters, one gentle and maternal, the other fierce and mischievous.

Launch, the angry and sensitive one would break, it would shatter the heart that was truly good underneath all the pain, all the anger. She'd forgive him of course, because she loved him too much as a proper older sister did, but he'd never forgive himself, each tear to fall down her fair face was a mark of his sin, and one more noose around his sinner's neck.

Blue Launch as she was known, who hadn't known or loved Tien as much as her other half had, would recover of course, but she'd still shed tears for him. And any man who made her cry was no man, but a monster in human shape.

Chaotzu, this would break the poor boy, who'd strangle himself emotionally in his grief, to an extent Goku would be his murderer for allowing Tien to die, _'Oh, Chaotzu I'm so sorry! Another failure! My little brother, I'm so sorry…'_

Then almost worst of all, most torturous of all for him, was when he glanced in the opposite direction to Tien's corpse; Yamcha. His sweet-natured older brother. His childhood hero.

Discovered out of the corner of his eyes, this loss was as a punch to the gut. It pulled all the air from his lungs and all thoughts from his mind, as his eyes widened in horror. All his life he had lived with the knowledge that Yamcha would always be there, more constant than Grandpa Gohan, or almost even the fatherly Kami or Ox-King, or even Roshi.

"Yamcha…"

They had met when he was seven and Yamcha eleven. It was instant rivalry yes, but then later it was all but instant brotherhood. How Yamcha would explain things to him, would guide him, love him and ask for nothing in return except, friendship and love which Goku was happy to give him.

His first real rival and martial arts foe, Yamcha had been a bandit, yet deep down an honourable and good man. He was so much like Goku, abandoned, alone in the world and in need of a family.

He remembered starry nights spent together, asking Yamcha to tell him stories, or about the constellations above their heads. He remembered how, Yamcha once picked him up one night in the desert, put his legs on either shoulder and with a grin carried him for awhile. At first, he was scared of falling, but then he wasn't. Because Yamcha promised and always kept his promises, that he'd never drop him.

_'You never failed me, yet I… I…'_ Goku felt his lower lip quiver a little, this blow was too terrible for words or even tears.

_"Goku, listen to me, you may think you have to protect everyone else but not yourself, but listen to me; don't ever put yourself in danger for others without needing to again, okay?"_ Yamcha had told him once, after he had nearly died the first time on him, the older boy had been cut up, and beaten yet still took him by the shoulders, his anger and disappointment had cut deeper than his sword ever could. _"Now, perk up little bro, we got a lot of walking to do, and little time to do it in."_

Or there was the time they promised to always be brothers, and how Goku fell asleep whispering to him, "I always wanted a brother," with Yamcha pulling him into a deep hug as he whispered a soft, "Me too."

Life without Yamcha was impossible for Goku. He couldn't fathom living like that, he didn't want to. He was his older brother, his hero, the one he aspired after with just as much force as he aspired after Tien. It was Yamcha he tried to live up to as a man, just as he longed to live up to Tien as a martial artist and Piccolo a warrior, and Krillin a friend. It was Yamcha who had taught him how to love others' as a person, and not just as a friend or lover.

_'I killed him by failing him, Yamcha! Yamcha! I'm sorry!' _Goku moaned in his heart of hearts, unable to stand the storm of grief that nearly dropped him instantly to his knees, even as he realized another just as huge sin; he had failed his big sister Bulma. The first friend he ever had and first sister he ever had. _'Bulma, I let him die! I won't be able to ever face her again! Not like this!'_

Bulma who was so fiery, so tempestuous and yet loved so fiercely if shyly, afraid of being hurt after a lifetime of neglect and near-indifference from her parents, she had always been so good though, so kind underneath everything. She had loved Yamcha, he was the love of her life, the greatest passion and reason for her to exist, and Goku had murdered him.

_'Another burden, another failure, Bulma forgive me… I was too weak and slow… I'm sorry…'_ Goku sobbed in his mind, as he realized he remembered how she all but smiled and giggled whenever they played 'house', where she'd be the 'mommy', Yamcha the 'daddy' and him the 'son', it was life at its finest for their childhood imaginations.

"Hahaha, were these guys friends of yours? Sorry about that, they were fun to fight for awhile, but they all met the same fate in the end." Nappa stated with a mocking chuckle, as he boasted of his crimes against Goku, against nature and life itself, having regained his composure.

The grief let him go, a great swelling of rage, of outrage overtaking him, as it began to permeate his very soul, his very being. How could any of these Saiyans live with themselves? These people were his family, his all, his everything. They were all good people, so many lives lost, so many more destroyed, all for perverse amusement and cheap and petty revenge?

He had once thought he understood hate when King Piccolo killed Krillin, but that was but mild to lesser irritation compared to the blood, the hatred, the passion that flowed through his veins in that instant, the only solace for him was that Krillin and his baby were fine. Were still alive, that was the only reason these three monsters still drew breath. The only reason.

The look he turned upon Nappa let him know one thing; there'd be no escape from his wrath. Nappa would pay for this, in a pound of flesh.

"Haha, that's right I took care of them all, well except for that little guy, he decided to blow himself up," Nappa boasted unaware of the gravity of the sins weighing upon his soul.

Goku shivered in revulsion, how could anyone take pleasure in such sadistic madness? This was why he hated life or death struggles, hated killing, hated hate, and he not only killed them all but Chaotzu too? Chaotzu who wouldn't hurt a fly, and dreamed of little more than growing up to support and heal others?

_'Chaotzu, you were so full of promise, so good and pure this monster thought you dying in such a dirty way, was entertainment?!'_ Goku thought outraged and indignant, Chaotzu was more than a friend, he was a nephew and a little brother, always trailing after Goku and Tien, always helping others, with his endless supply of kittens, piglets and puppies, he was always caring for others without thought, without hesitation.

He had taught Goku about kindness, and was the one Goku tried to be like, when speaking words of kindness, and this man had butchered him like cattle and then boasted of it?! _'Chaotzu, Launch once more I'm sorry! I'll spend the rest of my life, making it all up to you, both of you, I must atone. And I'll start by making things right here, by making this goon realize that what he did wasn't just wrong, it was the most repulsive deed ever committed in his life!'_

Goku shook with the force of his emotions, under the thrall of his grief and rage, unable to contain it or keep it in check. But Nappa wasn't done pouring in the salt.

"And the whole time I was pounding them, they were waiting for YOU to show up," Nappa said throwing it in his face and twisting the knife of self-recrimination and self-loathing in Goku's chest even more. "Somehow, they all knew you were coming, but it didn't matter, you were too late. Hahahahaha!"

It stung, it was the most painful moment in all of Goku's life, more so than even burying Grandpa Gohan, and that was a blow he was still recovering from, still had nightmares about, with the crushed remains still there behind his eyelids.

The tight bitterness in his chest and on his shoulders tightened, as Goku trembled with rage and grief, his fist rose in front of him, his right one as he clenched it tightly enough to nearly draw blood, he bit his lip hard as he shook and raged.

"Kakarot's power-level is increasing," Vegeta realized as he read the numbers on his Scouter.

Goku then did the strangest deed of them all, he began to advance. Stepping straight into the trap laid by the lion, unawares it seemed of the danger represented by Nappa, unaware of his incredible power and abilities.

"They were weak, just like you are!" Nappa told him boastfully, furiously shoving away the nausea in his gut, as he taunted his enemy, he was afraid of nothing and no one, he'd man up and face this fear, and he'd do it by stomping the figure who had just inspired it in him. "Weak, and not worth my time."

The punch thrown towards Goku met with nothing but air, as Nappa let out a 'huh?' when he noticed the man no longer there, having vanished completely.

"He's fast," Vegeta breathed, shocked.

"No shit, prince obvious," Callion muttered just as shocked as the other two as she looked about for him, like they did.

The first to notice him was Nappa, who felt that pressure behind him, that weight and turned to gape at the man's back._ 'When did he get there?'_

The other two Saiyans followed his gaze, equally stunned and equally frustrated by their inability to keep up it seemed.

Goku strode past Nimbus and Gohan, waving his right hand at Nimbus to follow after him as he did so. "Come on, Gohan." He said taking solace in the fact that his son, his baby, his Gohan was still alive. _'I can at least face Chi-Chi still. I couldn't bear it if she were to hate me, or be disappointed in me, I couldn't deal with life itself without my boy there to smile up at me.'_

"Hey Krillin, are you alright?" He queried of his brother, of his best-friend so glad, so relieved to see him, to see the best friend he ever had, ever could have and could ever imagine still alive. Wounded but alive.

They had grown up together, fought together, and preservered through thick and thin together, life meant Goku and Krillin, side-by-side no matter what. It always did, and always would.

His best-man at his wedding, his best friend and teammate growing up, and his son's godfather after Ox-King, nobody was as reliable or as great a friend or twin brother as Krillin was for him. Goku felt the weight on his shoulders lessen with his hero and twin's grin, feeling as though it'd be alright. Because Krillin was there, that was what was important, he'd forgive all, and forget all injuries, no matter what.

"Fantastic," Krillin the smart-alec muttered sarcastically with a wry grin, which always made Goku feel better, as his eyes conveyed so much more; he was just as glad and just as pleased to feel their bond alive and well once more. They were halves of a whole, twins born from different mothers, equally abandoned and equally loved by fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and each other.

"I was a little late," Goku said slowly, guiltily as he bent down on one knee, he then added reassuringly, "Sorry, but it's okay now. Oh, I almost forgot a special delivery from Korin. Here."

He offered it towards the fallen Krillin, who gasped in relief tears still staining the corners of his eyes, "Wow, a-a Senzu Bean. I sure am glad to see that."

Goku let out a small mirthful chortle at the force of his enthusiasm, reassured by it, "This was his last one."

"Woah, wait a minute, maybe you should keep it then," Krillin suggested guiltily, aware that Goku would probably be able to put it to much better use than him, he was so much stronger after all.

"Nah," Goku replied at once, his throat tight only to add hurriedly, "I've already had one for myself, this one's for you."

_'What's he holding out to the midget?'_ Callion wondered confused, what was up with this guy, was he crazy? No that couldn't be it, he must be up to something. Nappa she could tell could sense it too, but he reacted outwardly with more frustration than confusion than anything else.

"I'd be wasting it," Krillin croaked depressed by his own inability to help his friends, unaware that he had risen from a healthy, 2,470 to a stronger 3,180 by pushing himself so far beyond the brink, his spirit energy having risen because of critical conditions. "You'll need it, if you're going to try to take down all three of these guys, eheheh."

"It's your help that I might need," Goku insisted stubbornly, refusing to accept any other result to this argument than his twin brother getting the bean. "That's the truth Krillin, I promise." A thought occurred to him, as he glanced over at Gohan, he then pulled the bean closer to himself, in order to break it into two equal halves, "Here's half."

He then shoved it into Krillin's mouth, not that he could argue anymore, he was so tired and so weak. He caved in, and began to chew on it heavily, aware that Goku might be wrong, yet too selfish to resist the idea, the false flattery that he was needed.

"Thanks, Goku," He uttered with his mouth full, not just for the bean, but for believing in him whenever he didn't and for simply being himself, Kami how he loved this man like a twin.

"The other half is for you Gohan," Goku said much more firmly, when he pulled himself up a little, as he offered it up to his already nodding son, who never did have it in him to even consider arguing with him.

Gohan nodded, opened his mouth, he could have simply taken it, but after waiting for so long and suffering so much just to see his daddy, he wanted to be a little selfish. To be a little boy again, that was all he wanted so he opened his mouth like he used to when he was four, and let his dad toss it into his mouth like he used to toss sweets into there.

Goku's lips twitched a little, his heart warmed by the knowledge that Gohan would always no matter what be Gohan. That gluttonous little boy, who always wanted to be coddled by his dear daddy, something which Goku was more than happy to do for him.

Krillin sighed in relief as he could FINALLY feel his bones again, could finally walk again, you just never appreciated anything until you were stripped of it. He grinned widely in relief at Goku, "We gotta learn how to grow those beans!"

Goku smiled back at the light jest of his friend, as he nodded a little at the idea, it was one he'd had before himself, a dozen of times when in danger, with Gohna hopping down from the cloud to stand by his side proudly. "Krillin you've gotten a lot stronger, I can feel it."

"Uh yeah, I was doing great until the fighting started," Krillin replied with a heavy dose of self-mockery and bitterness though with some honesty too, as his gaze wavered and fell to his shoes, "We've all improved, thanks to Kami of course. But man, I guess it just wasn't enough!"

Goku gave him an understanding look, he knew how that felt. He then glanced up, blinked and smiled a watery smile at his only son. _'I've missed so much, and look at him; standing so tall and strong, not clinging to my legs anymore, I miss those days… yet still so cute and perfect.'_

"Wow, Gohan you look stronger too, I can tell that you've been training hard," Goku remarked uneasily, part of him selfishly wished he could have kept him small and needy forever, he loved him so much. _'But I can't say I'm not proud, I mean look at how strong he is! He's definitely Chi-Chi and my boy, though I think he takes more after her these days, oh how I missed them both this past year!'_

"Hm-hmm," Gohan murmured with an affectionate nod to his daddy, "Piccolo's been taking care of me, he was great and he taught me so many things." His gaze got watery again as he glanced down at his feet, depressed, "And now he's gone. It's-it's up to us to bring him back, I don't know how we can do it, but we have to. We just have to, dad!"

"We will son, we will," Goku promised him, unsure if he could keep it but more than happy to swear it, he hoped they could it would lessen some of his burden and make everything right again as they were meant to be. "But first we have to focus on taking these guys down once and for all."

Gohan shivered, it seemed impossible even for his formidable invincible daddy, because wasn't Piccolo all but invincible and look at how easily he'd fallen. Krillin though, had regained some of his hope, and balling his hands into fists, "You're right Goku. Man, it's not over yet, hey with your increased strength; and us back at full-power we should have a chance of beating those jerks."

"Right," Goku agreed pleased to see his friend regain faith, he hated to see him stoop and lose hope, it didn't suit the irrepressible and courageous Krillin at all. But there was one thing he couldn't do, he could not fight that big one, and much as Goku didn't know how they'd help he just knew they would and that though he didn't want to take vengeance away from Krillin or Gohan, or to shame them, but this was his battle. His responsibility, his sin to atone for, "But you've done your part, maybe it's best if the two of you sit this one out? This time I think I'll take them all, all by myself."

Gohan and Krillin gasped, certain that Goku had lost it, or didn't know what he was up against, it would take all of them they knew to defeat those monsters, the first to inform him, fill in the gaps of his knowledge or at least try was Krillin.

"Goku, you can't! See that big guy over there?" He yelped as he pointed over at Nappa with a short and stubby finger, "He beat every last one of us, without even breaking a sweat! The only chance we have is to stick together!"

"He-he's right dad, that guy he's uh really strong," Gohan whimpered afraid, his eyes wide and terrified, the trauma he had suffered showing though he didn't know it then.

_'Gohan, what did he-I'm going to- grrrrrrrr, they'll pay for this,'_ Goku swore infuriated to his core, how dare they break his boy's spirit, harm Gohan in such a way he'd have nightmares for years for sure. It was one thing for Goku to fall asleep with nightmares, or to still shake and shiver at the sheer evil Gero, Commander Red or King Piccolo or even Radditz had possessed, or even that monstrous giant ape that crushed Grandpa, but to do so to Gohan.

_'Unforgiveable!'_ Didn't they realize how gentle, how kind and sweet his baby was? How much Chi-Chi doted on him? They had with a few gestures, hurt Gohan and Chi-Chi. And that was something even Goku could not allow to go, unpunished. If his friends were his organs, Chi-Chi and Gohan were his heart and soul.

Goku glared at Nappa, hating him then as he began to charge up to the startled bewilderment of the giant who hesitated once more. Even Callion seemed put off and unsure of herself in that moment.

Krillin began to shake, he had never seen Goku like this. Sure he'd been upset plenty of times in the past, occasionally mad but to see him all but frothing at the mouth with rage and exuding so much power was not just stunning; it was utterly terrifying, almost more than seeing all your friends get massacred around you.

The chill that crept up his spine was the worst and best feeling of his life, if he felt so terrified he could only imagine what those dirty Saiyans must be feeling. "G-Goku? A-amazing!"

"No daddy, don't!" Gohan called out hoping to rush forward to stop his dad, just as he began to step away from them and towards the Saiyans.

But thankfully Krillin was there to stop him, as he suddenly realized it wasn't Goku who needed protection but the enemy, "Wait Gohan, just let him go!"

"Come back, please!" Gohan pleaded tears already forming again, he couldn't live without his daddy again, he just couldn't imagine having to go through that again, his attentive and loving father butchered by another Saiyan? It was too terrible for thought.

"I've never seen him like this, Gohan, he's different somehow," Krillin whispered to the boy he had grabbed onto by the shoulders of, eyes wide as he spoke almost more to himself than to his nephew. "I-I think we should just do what he says."

The distance was crossed by Goku, slowly, calmly and methodically as he continued to glare at all three of them. Nappa stared back, then smirked at him attempting to show confidence and push away the bile in his gut and throat, he'd need all that he had for this fight, he could feel it.

Vegeta stared, sneering and certain of his own triumph, Nappa would devour this guy before supper.

Callion trembled a little, she could almost feel the pure rage and indignant righteousness on this guy, it was strange, _'It's like staring at everyone gathered here today, that scar-faced guy's balls, three-eyes discipline, pale-face's generosity and the Namek's honour. This guy is all of them and yet none of them. How did he get to this point in life? How did he become what he is today? I-I would like to know, though it's foolish, whatever best to leave this to-hold on, power-level rising, let's see.'_

"Let's get this started," Goku stated almost ordering them as he glowered, and glowed with pure fury a pale blue aura beginning to surround him, with small tinges of red and gold almost visible, at least to Nappa who ignored it, with the other two only seeing the red and a slight sliver of gold. "It ends right here, right now."

And Goku meant it, he wouldn't allow this to go on for any longer. He wouldn't tolerate anymore deaths or sacrifices or murders, there had already been enough sins and tragedies for one day. He was going to stop these three sadists once and for all.

* * *

"Look deep, deep into my crystal ball. Crystal ball, show them all what they want to see," Baba chanted where she was now seated in her brother's living room, the tv forgotten and hot-tea next to her courtesy of Ox-King's generosity and politeness. "Crystal ball, show them all friends and family."

All of them looked deeply, with Chi-Chi at the forefront, hands together as she prayed for Gohan's continued safety, but it was Bulma who gasped first as they all caught sight of the same thing at the same time.

_'It's Goku!'_ Chi-Chi could almost feel his warmth, his strength even from this distance, their childhood forged connection, love stronger than ever (which was saying something considering the passion and vigour of their bond).

"Look something's happening," Bulma said dumbfounded always startled whenever something magical happened outside the Dragonballs, it just didn't seem real to her sometimes, as a woman of science, of pure logic it was difficult to tread into the realm of faith and heart and pure magic. "Is that-?"

"Could it be?" Roshi gasped tears forming in his own eyes beneath his shades, as relief began to bubble forth to the surface of his heart, was it his boy's boy? His Gohan's adoptive son? If so, then victory could be assured or at least a possibility once more.

"It's Goku!" Ox-King gasped, openly sobbing his throat tight with sentiment,_ 'Our boy, Gohan, our boy yet lives thank you my brother!'_

Oh, how life had not been the same without his beloved son-in-law, he almost hated living without him, without the boy who had come to look to him for guidance, whom he had come to guide and love more than if he had been a son of his own. He tried to stem the flow of tears, he did, but he couldn't. And he realized he wouldn't. These tears were a badge of his love for his boy, yes, his boy just as much as Kami's, or Roshi or Gohan's.

"It's my little bro!" Launch uttered with just as much relief and affection in her voice, as she cheered and pumped up her arms, "Now go and rip their spleens and guts through their nostrils out for what they did to my family! Teach 'em what it means to have their digestive and kidney organs ripped out and fed to dogs, for killing my Tien!"

She continued like that for awhile, too horrifying and too frightening for words, and though they all felt bile and some took turns heaving their guts out later at the sheer description of her suggestions, none could disagree with her, so righteously angry were they with those dirty Saiyans for ruining their lives and murdering their loved ones.

"G-Gg-Gokuuu," Chi-Chi moaned, reaching out a single hand, as the passion, the weight in her chest alleviated and she felt everything click back into place in her soul and life. _'You came, you really came! I knew you would! You've never let me down, and you never will!'_

The view shifted to her momentary disappointment, she was relieved though when she saw it was her son who came into view, "Uh."

"Look, it's Krillin and Gohan," Oolong pointed out jumping up and down with joy.

Chi-Chi's hands pressed together, as her heart leapt with more joy than ever in all her life, she began to sob in relief and passionate joy, "Gohan! My baby! He's alright!"

It proved almost too much for her, the emotions, the wave after wave of joy and relief would have made a lesser woman or man or anyone else pass out on the spot or rush for the aspirin, but all it did was make Chi-Chi swoon a little, as her father caught even as she was beginning to catch herself already.

"Uh, Chi-Chi are you okay dear?" Ox-King asked her worriedly, having never seen her like this before, it had been a fairly bipolar day after-all and she could hardly be blamed for rushing from one reaction to another. Because let's face it, everyone else was doing it too, constantly over-reacting that is. "Ugggh, what a day." He needed more aspirin, for his burgeoning headache.

"Goku, tear them up! C'mon, knock 'em OOOUUUTTT!" Bulma shrieked almost hysterically, _'Make them pay for harming my Yamcha!'_

"Yeah and also…!" Launch continued with the stream of vulgar threats and possible torture methods.

"Egh," Roshi gasped as the ball shifted the view to the corpse of Piccolo, with the Turtle Hermit the first to notice and the first to react with uncontrolled horror and shock, "Piccolo!" That got everyone's attention, "If Piccolo's gone, then that means that Kami's gone as well. And the Dragonballs, they're gone too!"

Everyone gasped in horror, this meant they'd never see their friends again, never see their faces or spend time with them the first to vocalize their feelings in two words was Launch, "No way!"

"That means we can't wish them back?" Bulma asked feeling faint herself, as her shattered heart shattered again, and her mind tried to cope with the weight of the reality of what lay ahead of her and all of them.

"Hm-hmm," Roshi nodded everyone looked down at their feet, suddenly they all needed to resist the tears and heartbreak that was consuming the room it was all that they could do, to keep it from overtaking them.

"Oh, Goku be careful!" Bulma murmured for all of them, as she tried not to think about Yamcha even though that was a stupidly impossible thing not to do. How do you not think about the one you love most, when all you've ever done is think and feel for them?

Chi-Chi nodded weakly, hoping that Goku would do that and keep him and Gohan safe. She couldn't go through what she did last year, a second time except permanently. It would finally kill her.

* * *

"C'mon, I haven't got all day," Nappa sneered at Goku, projecting the image of masculine cockiness that he felt he needed and that reassured the other two, one unconsciously the other consciously. "Heh, I wanna see what the great Kakarot's made of."

"Ha, you want me? You got me," Goku snarled still enraged as he took up an offensive stance Krillin had used earlier, with his arms to his sides and fists clenched. Sure he began to charge up his considerable ki, unable to repress it any longer but he also instinctively took up the martial arts pose that his grandpa and Roshi had taught him years ago and that had been drilled into him, since he was but five days old.

_'That pose again.'_ Callion noted though she simply raised an eyebrow, she was soon distracted from this when she noticed the numbers on her Scouter going off.

If the earth and air had thickened and shaken for Nappa when he charged up, now it positively glowed and rocked and groaned as it was not just torn apart but shattered all around him, as rocks floated up, disintegrated and as electricity crackled in the air. Blue, red and gold all swirled together as Goku's hair stood on end, floating, shimmering with the same intensity as his aura.

Nappa gaped and took a step back frightened, it was as though an explosion was going off in his head, as though he could actually see not just the ki but the fullness of Goku's bared soul in front of him. It scared him how intense, how raw, how deep it was.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

_'What's this feeling? I can't win, his power-level must be higher than mine!' _Nappa realized with a shudder as he clenched his teeth, not realizing that he had put his finger on the exact thing he was feeling and had begun to for a while now. Nappa had learned with Saiyan rapidity how to sense power-levels, though he didn't consciously realize it yet.

If Nappa was terrified, Callion was merely daunted and Vegeta was blue in the face. All three demonstrating different symptoms, with Callion developing nausea, Vegeta beginning to feel something in the tips of his toes and fingers, as the nausea began to form a little.

"Uh, all that's from my dad?" Gohan asked shaken, needing to lean on a nearby mountain to keep standing, Krillin did the same thing next to him, both gaping and suddenly a little unsure of what was going on as Goku continued to cry out.

"Power-level's at; 8,000," Vegeta stated dumbly, unable to do anything other than report the power-level so frightened was he, then he corrected himself as the machine booped and beeped, at the same time that Callion's green one did, "No wait. It's over nine!"

Having given them all a taste of what he felt, of what he'd suffered and of what was in store for them, Goku ceased all of a sudden. The shimmering lights in Nappa's view stopped, as the other two Saiyans gaped uncertainly for a long time.

_'Nine?! That's one thousand more than my top reading! Wait it just went- 9,500? Dammit! No, it can't be-no I have to accept it, he's stronger than me, though I don't know how he did it in one year,'_ Callion raged as she gritted her teeth, with a deep sigh she accepted the facts as they were. _'Doesn't mean he'll win when we fight, I could catch up, and can still outfox my way out, I'm no Radditz or even that fool Vegeta.'_

_'It can't be,'_ Vegeta thought to himself, initially convinced this was a bad dream, wait 9,500? That was it? Then why did he get scared? He was better, he was at 18,000 after all, which meant he was indeed better. _'I won't accept this! This damn thing is defective!'_

"Guys, what did you say his power-level was at?" Nappa shouted, a feeling of trepidation in his gut as he looked for confirmation from the other two.

Vegeta tore his Scouter off, and in a fit of rage and frustration, crushed the device gripped by the force of his denial and tantrum put together. "It's over 9,000! Ugggraaaggh."

Nappa gaped at him, shocked and horrified, "NINE THOUSAND!? THERE'S NO WAY THAT COULD BE RIGHT! IT CAN'T BE!"

Goku remained silent as he watched the big guy who'd destroyed his family panic, gripped by fear, he suddenly didn't seem so big or menacing, at least not to him, he just seemed like a frightened child. _'How did someone like this, ever manage to defeat my nemesis?'_

"Don't be so sure, I'll have you know I was trained in the art of 'Kaioken'," Goku snapped it didn't matter if they knew that he knew the move, maybe they'd heard of it and it could help intimidate them, and get them to defeat themselves psychologically.

"Ugh, 'Kaioken'?" Vegeta gasped, anything but that! Wait, what was Kaioken? Hopefully he'd see it soon, to get to know what it was.

_'What's he talking about? A formal fighting art? A move? Damn, ever since we arrived here, we've been in the dark, and I hate it. Shoulda' asked more questions from the shrimps,'_ Callion thought to herself confused, she had never heard of such a thing, she wondered if Frieza or Cooler would have. They had lived for centuries, surely, they'd know something about that odd sounding move Kakarot just mentioned.

"Kaio-whatever, who cares?! I'm still going to crush you, I don't care what you've learned!" Nappa snapped, as he did the only thing he could do under the circumstances; try. He could run, which was something someone lesser than him would, or he could fight this guy and beat him down. Because he knew one thing; he couldn't run, couldn't avoid this fight, he'd already paved the way to it._ 'It's kill or be killed, like I told Cal earlier.'_

In the speed of a single heartbeat, no at twice maybe three times the speed of sound, Nappa was suddenly bearing on top of Goku with his arms out and ready to smash him into a fine paste in the ground.

The next thing he knew, was that he was sent sprawling towards the ground no longer graceful, no longer strong but with pain resonating through the back of his skull, as pain rocketed throughout his entire being.

He hit the ground hard with a cry of pain that was torn from his lips before he could stop himself. Nappa's hands, face and knees scraped along the ground, as his cry came to an end, and as he suddenly realized he was no longer standing, but lying in the dirt wracked with pain.

"Hngggrrrr." Vegeta growled while the shrimps gaped.

"Incredible," Callion gasped.

"Woah, how did he do that?" Krillin asked, having not seen a single thing.

Nappa reached for the back of his head, his left eye squeezed shut in pain, as he massaged the spot where he'd been hit, it still ached and throbbed which simply worsened his battle-rage. "You-you'll pay for that!" So angry was he that, his voice trembled. "You-you'll PAAAAYYYY!"

"We'll see, but I haven't even warmed up yet," Goku taunted him, in that same unbrooking, cold voice that seemed so unlike him.

"WHAT!?" Nappa demanded revolted by this proclamation, he couldn't accept it, if he did it meant that he'd be submitting to someone who should have been his inferior. It'd mean letting his years of combat, all those years of fighting, and what was more it'd humiliate his honour to do so, "Why you little-hnggraaa! That was luck, I'm the third strongest Saiyan in the universe!"

So enraged was he that he forgot about Callion's cover, her attempt to suppress the knowledge of her power, the awareness the trump-card she had planned to use on Vegeta someday, her brow twitched at his reveal. She'd let him have it later. If he survived that is, not that she'd allow Kakarot to kill him.

A comrade, that's what he was and the only one she had in the whole universe, if need be much as she'd hate it; she'd reveal her true power, all 8,000 of it if it meant covering for him. But she also needed to see what Kakarot could do, what this Kaioken was, and to see if there was a weakness.

Vegeta paid it no mind, didn't know who Nappa was referring to, didn't care.

"Haha, well if your friends are stronger than you, then that makes you the fourth strongest," Goku retorted with a sneer of his own, as he saw through both Nappa and Callion's powers, the only one he couldn't fully read was Vegeta's, not yet at least. It seemed to dwarf both Nappa and Callion's put together. That much he did know.

"Hehehaha, Kakarot, I'm gonna rip you apart!" Nappa roared as he charged Goku just as he had previously with Tien and Piccolo. The right hook he sent in the direction of the orange-clad young man before him, met with nothing but air, so did the first right-kick.

As Tien had done before against him, so now it was Nappa's turn to panic and send a flurry of wrathful kicks towards Goku who moved from side to side, hopping here, there, everywhere as he dodged those blows as though they were moving in slow-move.

Nappa began to mix a series of rapid-fire punches, all designed to try and finally force Goku to step back, but he didn't. He didn't do much more than, simply duck, dodge and lean out of the way, he did move his feet but never backwards, instead he jumped, he rolled, and leaped. All without thinking, his eyes fixed on Nappa's own eyes.

Goku suddenly leaped up over one of Nappa's extended arms, only to flip himself over the larger man's head, then started to finally start back up a little, even as Vegeta frowned, his thumb pressing against his lip thoughtfully.

_'Could he actually be stronger than Nappa?'_ Vegeta wondered realizing that his former tutor may just be outclassed. "It's strange, just a year ago he couldn't beat Radditz, and now he's making sport of Nappa."

"Don't forget, his Saiyan Growth Hormone would have easily had him move beyond Radditz's levels, just from the beating, then with his chest ripped open and his death, I'm afraid that combined with whatever he did to himself while dead, must have turned him into a real monster," Callion hypothesized alongside Vegeta, as she considered the events unfolding and the increasing panic with which Nappa was beginning to fight with.

Nappa had had it by now, he was done with being humiliated, done with being ridiculed it was bad enough to endure Vegeta's constant mockery, to have to live under Frieza's thrall and endure his minions' pathetic taunts all the time. But did he have to be humiliated by this race-traitor too? No, he wouldn't accept it, so he threw all of his ki, all of his passions, all that he had endured not just today but, over the course of a life-time into his next ki-charged Arm Crasher.

Goku disappeared. Nappa stared at the spot where he'd been, he wasn't there anymore so where did he go? He began to look for him all over the place, turning his head in every direction yet still he didn't find him.

"Over here," A cool, yet amused voice taunted him from some distance behind him.

"Oh wow! Did you see how your father did that?" Krillin murmured breathlessly to Gohan, as Nappa spun around to face his much faster enemy.

"Uh, nuh-huh, did you?" Gohan breathed back, just as shocked as he stared in awe at his father.

"I'll get my hands on you, and when I do, hnggrrrrr," Nappa growled furiously.

_'I've never heard of anyone increasing their power levels that much in one year,'_ Vegeta thought, no one outside Frieza or Cooler had ever done such a feat though he wasn't fully sure of it (though who could blame him, given how powerful those two were).

"What!?" Nappa gasped as Goku all but disappeared from view, the human raised Saiyan had begun to charge him with a serious look on his face then disappeared. Then he felt it, a weight on where he'd been struck hard twice. There were feet on his head, _'My head as a trampoline or foot-rest, is where I draw the line!'_

Nappa reached up to crushed Goku's knees out from under him, but as his hands just to say came together, all of his ribs were suddenly shattered with one ferocious blow from Goku's right-fist.

"That's for my friends, all four of them." Goku growled as Nappa doubled over, eyes unfocused as he endured more pain in one instant than he'd ever endured in all his life, that punch had made Gohan's attacks seem like love-taps or simple tickling gestures in comparison.

"I-I-I was c-commander-in-chief of the whole damn Saiyan army," Nappa ground out through his teeth, unable to believe once the pain had subsided after a whole five minutes, enough for him to even think or move without nearly crying out as liquid agony coursed up and down his bruised spine. "You're nothing compared to me!"

He groaned out the last bit, just as his vision began to blur as he forced himself back up to his full height with a wince, shuddering in pain though he didn't immediately realize it.

These achievements he spoke of, were ones that any other Saiyan would have envied, any other such as Turles, Callion or Radditz would have at least considered even if all three were third-classes, and one was a sociopath, another deep down hated her Saiyan heritage and the third envied everything about him except his lack of hair. Yet in Goku's eyes, Nappa suddenly realized that all he had accomplished in his previous life, meant nothing. It was nothing in Goku's eyes.

_'Don't you dare look down on me! Not with those eyes! Dammit! I hate those eyes; Cooler looks at us the same damn way too!'_ Nappa thought as his rage and hatred for this Saiyan speck before him tripled, no quadrupled.

With a beastly roar he charged forward, all pain forgotten as he gave another right hook, it missed in frustration he dished out a left one, no longer caring about defense or self-survival that one missed too, and with another roar he tried to kick out, taking flight a little off the ground for added support.

Goku flipped over his head, though he didn't see it and with one short leonine battle-cry of his own struck with his own left-fist, sending Nappa flying forward digging into the dirt a little as he did so, then crashing through a small nearby boulder and to continue going.

Yet Nappa was a more skilled and experienced man than most gave him credit for, incredibly well-coordinated for his size, he regained control of himself as he flipped himself over, feet touching and bouncing him off of the nearby mountain behind him as he used the momentum to send himself flying back into the proverbial ring.

"This guy's no problem for Goku," Krillin commented as he continued to stare, as Nappa glared and growled like an enraged tiger over a particularly tough gazelle, floating high up in the air, as he needed time to reclaim his breath, Goku in the meantime returned the glare defiantly. Next to him, Gohan nodded a little.

"Uhhnnnngggrrrrraaaaahhh! I'm through with you!" Nappa bellowed charging his ki rapidly, it was his strength, he could power up faster than any other Saiyan alive, not even Vegeta or Callion could do so, and he put it to good use even as he growled, "Kakarot!"

Goku narrowed his eyes, and with a smirk decided to employ one of the Wolf School's finest tactics; psychological warfare. Why dodge the blast, when he could crush it with merely his aura, in a display that was sure to hammer the point home to Nappa that he was outclassed.

_"To defeat an enemy, get him to defeat himself,"_ Yamcha had always repeated, convinced this was a key to victory, and sure sometimes people used it against the former bandit, but the tactic certainly had proven its merit over the years.

"Alright, here goes," Goku declared before he gave his own battle-cry, only to in an explosion of power and as a gust of wind tore through the air, he stood his ground, destroying Nappa's finest attack as though it were nothing.

Nappa chortled more in relief, as he finally did the guy-wait, the relief was short-lived as he felt something was off even before the smoke was blown away to reveal Kakarot still standing, unharmed with his arms in the air, "What?"

All three of the Saiyans' eyes bulged out as Nappa vocalized what they were all thinking, "What? No way!"

"How was that pathetic fool able to stop that!?" Vegeta gasped confused, he was a third-class, no third-class could withstand such a blast.

"Hnnggrrr well take this!" Nappa roared, heart plummeting as he finally gave in to panic wholly and completely, ready to charge another blast, but Goku was unwilling to wait for him to attack or even charge up again.

"This one's for Piccolo!" Goku bellowed down at him, appearing behind the frightened first-class warrior, with his fists pressed together over his head. _'For you Nemesis, for you. You always fought and treated me with honour, how dare he kill you!'_

The blow landed with an effectiveness and enough force to bring tears of pain to Nappa's eyes, as he was thrown downwards all he could utter though was a startled, "What was that?" Through the fog of pain that clouded his head and screamed at him from the back of his skull yet again, "Didn't even see him get behind me!"

He then noticed an orange blur speed past him to the ground, this sent another wave of panic and terror coursing through his veins, "What the?"

Goku charged through the air, with one majestic leap he crossed the distance between where he landed only to dash towards where Nappa was going, rapidly calculating the distance and the gravitational force Nappa would be under, as he did so.

The pure-hearted warrior's leg came up, memories of a brother lost, so many moments of late-night comfort from nightmares about giant apes, and so many nights of weird advice and hugs when he'd wake up at seven years old feeling lonely. Never to happen again, it made Goku grit his teeth in a rage, "And this one's for Yamcha!" _'He'll pay for taking you from us! You were my hero, my big brother!'_

The kick dislocated Nappa's right shoulder blade, as he was sent once more flying through a mountain with yet another scream of pain, as it collaped onto him. While his foe bounced off of him, wrapping himself into a ball with his arms wrapped around his knees before he finally extended himself back to his full-height and landed with a grace few could even imagine let alone accomplish.

"Haha, wow no way! He's got him," Krillin cheered. "Way to go!"

"Y-yeah!" Gohan added, just as enthusiastically.

Nappa leapt out of the mess that had once been the mountain, still wracked with pain and blinded by it, as he landed heavily with a rock in hand which he crushed to pulp as he roared as enraged as he ever was, "I-I hate you!"

He even went so far as to throw one of the tiny, sharp remains of it straight towards Goku's face, it was as effective as expected; he simply leant back a little to avoid it, never taking his eyes off of his all but defeated foe's own.

"You hate losing, you're not used to fighting someone stronger than you," Goku retorted evenly, a hint of condescension in his voice.

"You're not stronger than me you little runt!" Nappa bellowed back, in full denial mode. "Your strength was tested when you were a baby, you are a THIRD-CLASS SAIYAN! I'm a Saiyan ELITE you LOW-CLASS DOG!"

"Nappa don't be a fool, calm down!" Vegeta shouted from the side, having seen enough as he finally snapped himself out of the stupor Goku had left him in, after trouncing Nappa so badly. "How do you expect to win, when you're so mad that, you can't even see straight? Use your head!"

_'That's rich coming from you!'_ Nappa wanted to bellow back, he wanted to rage at the prince, remind him that of the two of them the one who always flew off the handle at the slightest thing going wrong was Vegeta, especially in battle where he'd fail to use a level head. _'You never fight without throwing a million tantrums, never mind being able to see straight!'_

Yet against all odds, between hate for Kakarot and love for Vegeta, love won out and Nappa swallowed his wounded pride, his rage and his hatred. He sucked in several deep lungfuls of air, shuddering in pain as he did so. He knew that though hypocritical for Vegeta to say, he had to do it, had to let go of the Berzerker rage that had overtaken him.

With a heavy shudder as he took in all the air he could possibly get, Nappa wiped at some blood coursing down from his split lip with the back of his right-hand, he grinned almost in a friendly way to Kakarot, "Alright Kakarot, round two."

"Need help Nappa?" Callion offered, as she placed her hands on her hips and eyed Goku speculatively.

"I'm fine, I'll take him." Nappa retorted with a warm grin in her direction, _'No need to reveal all you've got, yet.'_

_'Good thing, it'd be tricky fighting those two teaming up,'_ Goku pondered as he eyed the woman out of the corner of his eyes, _'Not to mention, Grandpa always stated fighting girls was wrong.'_

_'His skills are way beyond what they should be, I don't understand it!'_ Vegeta reflected confused and lost as to what was happening before him, how could Nappa lose so completely so far?

"You may have gotten lucky, with a couple of fancy moves. But now, I'm gonna tear you apart!" Nappa grunted as he turned to eye Goku again, his voice still filled with an undercurrent of anger and hate.

"I'm ready when you are, it's your move," Goku answered with a cocky grin, sure to heat the blood of these thick-headed bullies.

"Heh, your time is up Kakarot," Nappa retorted with a cocky grin of his own, _'I need to think, there's gotta be a way to beat him, or to at least weaken him enough for Cal to take him.'_

_'That idiot has no idea what he's up again, I'm sure that I'll have to clean up his mess,'_ Vegeta pronounced snobbily in his mind, as he all but vowed to kill Nappa for humiliating them worse than he imagined Radditz had, it was times like these he wished Turles was around, now he could fight and at least make them look good.

"Why did they stop?" Krillin wondered as the wind swept through the area, blowing through everyone's hair, and as a heartbeat, then a second, then a minute, then three minutes passed, all without anyone moving.

"I don't know," Gohan answered with his eyes as wide as they could be.

* * *

"Uh-oh, the ugly guy's smiling about something," Oolong commented as everyone observed Nappa grinning via the crystal ball, behind him though he didn't notice it, Chi-Chi's hands gripped the cloth of her Chinese styled dress with blood-drained fingers.

"I can't stand it! Goku wipe that ugly smile off his face!" Bulma cried out as she raised her right hand to smack the ball.

"No don't!" Baba cried back seeing the blow coming, but it was too late as the young heiress grinned proudly to herself, while the witch ran to catch her ball which bounced off the coffee table/stand behind Turtle and Roshi, "You fool why'd you go and do that?"

"Never you mind, I did it because I felt like it," The spoiled young girl snapped, but this was the wrong answer as far as Baba was concerned.

"And you should learn to respect your elders," She bit out as their faces closed in on each other's heatedly.

"Well you should learn not to shout at people, when they're trying to make a point! That breath of yours, isn't exactly kissing fresh you know!" Bulma yelled back rudely, forgetting what her absent-minded father had always told her about respecting one's elders, that is when he wasn't losing himself in another experiment or project.

"Serves you right!"

"Ladies, please!" Roshi pitched in loudly, ever the reasonable one he added as Ox-King and Chi-Chi nodded behind him, "I think we're all a little high-strung, let's try to calm down."

"Man's got a point," Launch grunted as she leant back against the tv-stand morosely.

"Yeah, besides we're missing all the action, Goku could be in trouble for all we know," Oolong pointed out reasonably as well, from where he sat in front of the still unconscious Puar.

"He's not going to be in any trouble, Goku's fine," Bulma snapped confidently, it didn't even occur to her that he could even be injured even though six years before, Piccolo had nearly killed him and a year before how Goku had passed away due to Radditz. She then turned to the ball again, slapping it as she did so, "Now where's the picture?"

Baba yelped as the row started again, "Hey, it's not a television set!"

"Alright that's enough!" Roshi shouted, losing patience with the two of them as Chi-Chi looked up at him pleased that someone was finally going to put those two back in order and bring some sense to the chaos they had ushered in. "This has gone on too far girls, remember that you're guests in this house."

But as he tried to take the ball away from them, in the same manner he used to take a toy Goku and Krillin would fight over when they were kids, the women objected and began to claw, shout and fight with him over it.

"I think we might have broken it," Bulma commented a moment later as their cries subsided and the ball crackled, as though struck by lightning.

"No, there's a disturbance in the Earth's energy," Baba explained.

* * *

_'Now he's getting serious,'_ Goku remarked mentally without batting an eyelash, while Nappa powered up to his full might.

The earth around him was blown to smithereens in a huge upwards explosion as Nappa held up two fingers to the side, only to snicker and notice Goku dashing out from the smoke that came afterwards. "You can't escape!"

Nappa gave chase still surrounded by his glowing white ki, as he attempted to crush Goku's skull with one giant hand, with the other airborne Saiyan pulling back, then ducking as Nappa jabbed with his left arm.

A flurry of blows later, wherein Nappa missed though did finally press the other man back a little, and force him to parry one fist. He also finally managed to meet Goku's next blow with his own, their fists clashing in a cataclysmic moment that shook the air around them.

They then exchanged more blows, with not a single one landing as Goku deliberately parried or targeting his foes increasingly black and blue knuckles.

"Phew, this might be a little tougher than I thought," Goku stated loudly, pretending to be an idiot which he most certainly was not, as he grinned at his enemy with that same condescending grin that he had earlier, his tone even more patronising than ever.

"Hahaha, that was just a taste of my skills, I haven't even begun to show you my full power." Nappa snapped,_ 'And soon, you won't be feeling so smug.'_

"See how you like this," Nappa taunted him as he opened his jaw as wide as it could go, gathering all that he had for one great attack, one last blast.

The blast that ensued from his lips without damaging his tongue or teeth was different from all the others, Goku could feel it. It was stronger, and this one could actually injure him, it was more instinct and an almost conditioned reaction that had him throwing out a rapid Kamehameha to detonate his enemy's blast.

The resulting explosion was unlike any other that had ever come before it that day. It didn't just shake the surroundings, it threw smoke, boulders, pebbles, electricity, everything against those around the two fighters.

Krillin acted out of instinct too, as he hugged Gohan to him, shielding him from the explosion and all it could entail, though it was only later he realized he might not have been able to protect the startled boy. Vegeta in the meantime, had raised his arms to shield his eyes whilst also turning away, with Callion doing much the same.

"That was fast, how could he possibly dodge that? Nappa was right in his face!" Vegeta yelled certain that this was the end of Kakarot, what with how powerful that last blast had been and how much superior in rank Nappa was, it had to have ended one-sidedly.

Nappa chortled in agreement with him, but it was a short-lived victory for him when he caught sight of Goku who had raised his arms up defensively to shield himself from the explosion.

"That was a little too close, any closer and I'd be history," Goku muttered to himself, he couldn't afford to get cocky anymore, any more arrogant stunts and he'd die before he even began, this muscled-guy was tougher than he looked after-all.

"This can't be happening! Nobody's ever survived that attack, he's gotta have some weakness." Nappa said shocked, unable to believe his eyes as he gaped at Goku in horror, and mounting terror._ 'What is this guy made out of? Think Nappa, think! There's gotta be a way to win this!'_

"This cannot go on forever, I should really try using the Kaioken attack," Goku noted more to himself, as he realized that this guy's power-level was like his own; liable to grow a lot faster than a human's when pushed to the breaking-point. Not to mention, when faced with a stronger opponent it only grew, and with the beating already doled out, Nappa was starting to become more than a minor problem for him. "But I've gotta save my strength for the other two."

Yet Vegeta had seen enough, realizing now that Nappa was going to lose, and had already in his eyes disgraced them enough, he screamed up at them, "Alright that's enough. You heard me Nappa! Come down here, you're finished!"

_'I'm no child,'_ Was Nappa's first outraged thought at the tone that his surrogate son had taken with him, annoyed and enraged, he glared down at the boy far below him, _'I'm in the middle of the best fight of my life and you want me to just, what? Surrender? Run? I don't surrender nor do I retreat. I'm a Saiyan elite, and that has to mean something, or what has the past twenty-two years been for?'_

"Don't you look at me like that!" Vegeta screamed infuriated that Nappa would have the gall to glower at him, "So far you haven't managed to land a single punch, I think you've embarrassed us long enough!" _'I on the other hand, would never screw-up or fail so badly!'_

"That's just great, he was just a warm-up and this other guy really seems to know what he's doing," Krillin commented from the side still hugging Gohan close to him.

"Please hang on dad," Gohan whimpered, frightened for his daddy.

Goku considered the other Saiyan carefully, speculatively as he began to study his next opponent, who at first looked startled but then smirked back at him._ 'He's not as experienced as the bigger guy, but far stronger. I can tell that much.'_

"You're going to fight?" Callion asked incredulously, it was rare for Vegeta to do his own dirty work, it was actually now that she thought about it completely unheard of. _'This should be good, and in the end, I can mop up the victor and claim a promotion from Frieza, hehehahaha, peeerrrrffffeeect. A promotion and a secret weapon in a half-Saiyans to take out Frieza, in one bang so to speak, hehehehaha.'_

"I said it's my turn!" Vegeta raged, sounding more akin to a petulant child to both Nappa and Goku's ears than a proud combatant or royal, "Now get down here!"

Goku continued to stare the prince down, _'He's stronger, sure of his own victory and probably more than twice my own power-level that's for sure. But unlike him, I can't afford to lose.'_

"Grrr, well looks like fun's over," Nappa mumbled in defeat after staring his boss down for a long moment, he had to concede, else he'd only dishonour himself and his friends further. He then added more loudly, "Vegeta's gonna enjoy killing you slowly, Kakarot. He's the only one in the universe who can stop me, from ending this with you right now. He's stronger and faster than me, and I can't wait to watch you fail."

As he spoke, Vegeta's smirk grew bigger overtaking half his face, pleased by the praises being showed upon him by Nappa, who sounded exactly as Goku did when he boasted about Gohan.

_'So they're father and son, of sorts? Adopted it seems, where does that place the woman though?'_ Goku thought as he turned his eyes back to Nappa's, startled by this realization as he ceased othering this man, aware now that he had his family, his loved ones, his friends. Still it didn't mean he was just going to forgive and forget, about the blood of his own loved ones.

"It's too bad he won't let me help finish you off," Nappa declared proudly, as he began to descend feet first, then beginning to lean forward as he turned around and prepared to charge someone else, someone far weaker than both him and Kakarot, as the latter shifted his eyes back to Vegeta's, "Now what else can I do for fun? I know!"

Goku returned his gaze just in time to notice, and follow Nappa then his vicious gaze towards the children, only to be filled with panic.

"Gohan no!" Goku screamed fearfully, as he began to charge he had to save his son, he just had to! Yet he still tried to get the equally stock-still Krillin to get away, "Krillin run!" _'Save yourself, and Gohan!'_

As they flew through the air, Goku realized with a start as his stomach fell faster than either him or Nappa could ever fly or move, "I'm not going to make!"

Nappa opened his mouth to begin to prepare a second mouth blast, as Goku's eyes widened in fury and fear, he charged up his own ki, then he threw even more concentration and ki than he himself actually could channel. This was the secret of King Kai's legendary training; the Kaioken technique. A move that doubled your actual ki, increasing your strength, speed, stamina, everything few though could survive it.

Because it was so powerful, most would have their bodies torn to shreds from the inside out, along with their spirits if they even so much as tried it for a second. But Goku wasn't like most people. With a will and with more love than most could possibly channel, he was one in a million not just for a Martial Artist but as a person.

"Oh no! Kaioken tiiiimmmeeessss twoooo!" He roared, beginning to glow red as his body's temperature sky-rocketed also, those who survived the initial power-up, usually melted away from the heat of their own body and ki, as it also doubled your body temperature.

"Now what?" Vegeta gasped as he stared at what he saw, which was; Goku turning and glowing a bright red colour.

He had barely managed to finish uttering those words before Goku suddenly zoomed forward, faster than ever as he sliced through the air fists first like a hot-knife through the proverbial butter.

Nappa's spine was suddenly bent backwards, as Goku's fists smashed it to pieces and into his back, where fists marks would remain for days (were he to live that long). Then he zoomed away and underneath the brutish giant, in order to flip him over and catch him back first, as he gasped and shuddered brokenly.

Gohan and Krilliin gaped, their senses and eyes barely managing to keep up even as their brains began to register that Nappa was no longer charging. For you see, to them Nappa had been there on moment, mouth open and ki charging, next Goku stood before them, with Nappa well in hand.

_'What was that?'_ Callion asked herself shocked, scared stiff where she stood as she had never seen a move or anyone do that before, her Scouter meanwhile reported a whopping 19,000 that made her gasp again, _'19,000? How can he double his power-level like that? That's impossible! Or at least it should be.'_

"How in the world did he do that?" Gohan spluttered even as Nappa screamed and cried with pain if before it had been a fog, it was now a tempest sweeping him from the inside out.

"G-good question, I really don't know!" Krillin answered honestly.

_'I should crush him, for all that he's done to my friends, my family!'_ Goku thought for one spiteful, long wrathful moment. It would be so delicious, a dark part inside of him, inside of all men whispered to him as he for one long second actually considered it. The temptation was great, it would be too easy.

Vengeance and justice blurred, they were flip sides of a coin after all, and hadn't Nappa brought it upon himself with a lifetime of genocide and brutality? How many worlds had he crushed and sold, how many fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, grandparents or grandchildren had he slain without a second's hesitation?

_'He's cruel, and takes life for granted, and he deserves it,' _Goku thought wrothful yet then he remembered Chi-Chi, and how Gohan was present along with Krillin. What would this do to Gohan to see his father throw a tantrum and murder someone in cold-blood? What would Krillin say or do? Goku always striving to live up to his kind-hearted friend, wondered to himself, would he forgive him for failing morally in such a way? And Chi-Chi? Would she be able to live with someone who had committed such a sin? _'No, she'd never forgive me if I tainted myself like that. This isn't for me, it's for them.'_

Heck, what would, now that he thought about it and his blood had stopped screaming for this murder, those who'd fallen think if he had done such a thing? Tien would never forgive him, what with how honour meant not spilling blood in vengeance, Yamcha would weep and tell him not to sully himself, and that he was better than that. While Chaotzu would cry and not understand why he'd murder someone so cruelly, as to Piccolo, well he'd tell him he was a fool for giving in so easily to temptation. Real warriors, resisted their baser urges.

_'You're lucky, that they'd never forgive me and that I'd never forgive myself for becoming like you guys,'_ Goku thought with a scowl, as he tossed Nappa over to land gasping, and sobbing in pain at Vegeta's feet. _'Even that monster, that Nappa guy has family. To rip him away from his loved ones would only create a meaningless cycle of blood and vengeance. I want no part of that legacy, of that side of the Saiyan heritage.'_

"I-I-I-I U-u-ugh… can't move my ugh legs!" Nappa panicked terrified, and in monstrous pain as he broke down crying.

"Wow Goku, I think you really hurt that guy, he's not getting up," Krillin noted unaware that the man's spine had been snapped but beginning to realize this little detail the more he stared at the guy.

"He's not going to be fighting anymore, I suggest you take him back to wherever you came from and get him some help," Goku advised, voice brooking no defiance as he nodded his chin at the broken Nappa, _'I won't sink to their levels, I won't. So for my own sake, and for those of my friends, I'll let you go Nappa but don't ever hurt anyone like you just did again.'_

_'He's so confident, he achieved such a drastic increase in power and speed,'_ Vegeta realized not paying Nappa any attention, even as his race's only surviving female was noting this fact too, though she was at the moment more concerned for Nappa.

"Hey Goku, how did you do that? That was one of the most amazing attacks I've ever seen, what was it?" Krillin asked desperately wanting to know how his best friend accomplished so great a feat.

"It's the Kaioken attack, it's like a massive up-surge of energy, everything is heightened; power, speed, even hearing and vision increase dramatically," Goku explained with a smile to his friend, as he remembered how it had felt to use the draining secret art of King Kai's Martial Arts style. "You sorta've become a super-self, but it can only be sustained for a short time. So you have to get the job done quickly.

"That's so great! Do you think you'll ever be able to teach me a move like that someday, maybe?" Krillin pleaded ecstatically, unable to imagine the things he'd be able to do with a move like that one.

Goku narrowed his eyes as he stared down the listening Saiyans, who were listening attentively (well those not groaning in pain on the ground), as he smirked to hide his uncertainty, "Maybe."

If one of them was as ferocious as that Nappa guy, how dangerous were these two gonna be, given how they were a lot stronger than Nappa was to begin with.

"As usual I have to do everything myself," Vegeta complained hypocritically, not that his comrades were paying him any attention whatsoever.

"Why didn't you use that Kaioken to attack him in the first place, Goku? With a move like that, you could have taken him out anytime you wanted to."

"That's true, I could have but there's always a chance that the increase in energy, could have destroyed my body," Goku clarified tartly for Roshi's adoptive son and heir, he assumed a lighter tone as he tried to point out the bright side at that moment. "But I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Ye-yeah," Krillin murmured back distractedly yet not without some joy at that fact, only for his thoughts to get stuck on one important issue Goku had just brought up. "Wait, it co-could-could kill you?"

"Yes."

Callion tore her eyes off Kakarot, as she turned her attention back to Nappa. There'd be time enough later to worry about Goku, now there were bigger concerns than schemes for universal conquest or human weapons or Kaioken moves as dangerous as that one. They were being given a reprieve even a short one, to gather their wounded and regroup.

Callion stared at the fallen Nappa for a second, the law of the jungle said he should die, but she was never one for that law. Uncrossing her arms', she stepped forward ready to help him without a second thought. They were comrades after-all.

_'You were the only one who ever cared, the only one who listened to me when I talked about Ban, and the only one who defended me when I was helpless from the others,'_ She thought to herself remembering countless times when the other three Saiyans would try to rape or beat her for sport. Sure, he taunted her but Nappa was a believer in tough love, and she had taken it to heart and improved, hadn't she?

There was the time he bent his head to Dodoria to save her, when she was thirteen. Or there was the time he had talked to her about one of his daughters similarly named as her, who had died years ago, on her first mission, a weakling by the name of Califla or something stupid like that not that it mattered to her. Callion also remembered then, how Nappa had not cared for his own children yet honestly told her that he had to care for her, when she was angry with the others and lying injured in the med-bay due to Turles and Vegeta's savagery.

_"We're comrades after-all,"_ He'd always said simply, as though that explained everything, to him it had meant nothing it was simply him being himself. But to a lost girl, who had lost her father and who's only racial counterparts tortured her for sport, or tried to rape her every few days, for a girl with nothing. That had meant the world to her.

_'You're all I've got, I suppose. You brought it on yourself, but I'll always take your side, always be your comrade, I suppose after everything you've done for me. You may be weak right now, but so was I.'_ She thought as she advanced towards him, _'Comrades stick together you always said, well I guess my grand ambitions will have to be put on hold until he's better.'_

"Here I'll get him, looks like we'll be carrying one of us home after-all," Callion remarked immediately as casually as she could, thinking that Vegeta would not want to sully himself by carrying his father figure. "We won't abandon you Nappa."

"No, let me." Vegeta told her startling her, as she failed to pick up on his tone and simply nodded a little.

_'About time, he started caring for the big lug, guess he did care somewhere deep down, huh? Guess Nappa's comrade speeches and real fighters speeches can have an effect on anyone,'_ Callion thought with a slow nod, thinking with a bit of uncertainty and relief that she had been wrong about her leader. Maybe there was something of an honourable man in there somewhere. "Um sure, if that's what you want."

Hearing this, Nappa raised one hand, grateful for his boy as he smiled up at the son he hadn't biologically father but chosen over his own many illegitimate children, over his many comrades, over even his own future and life time and again.

_'My boy, I knew you'd never let me down, you never did and never will,'_ Nappa thought to himself drained of all anger, happy and proud of Vegeta, whom he had loved since the moment he had held him in his arms, back when the child was a newborn. 'I never regretted telling your father, to shove it when he complained about your _'too low power-level', and I never regretted it when I told him you weren't stupid, or too inbred, just different, blessed differently, better in some ways, purer than any other Saiyan ever born could ever be.'_

"Ve-Vegeta, give me your hand," Nappa gasped through the pain as he raised the only limb he could; his left and only unbroken arm. "I-I can't get up."

Vegeta silently did so, which made Nappa sigh in relief just as Callion nudged one of the legs he could no longer feel with her feet, "Hey, we could never ditch you, you big lug."

"Th-thank you, hehehe," Nappa said hoarsely to them, smiling widely with all his mouth and face as he felt tears stain his eyes, _'My boy and my girl… I knew you'd make me proud. I love you guys, who needs a spine with comrades like you two?'_

"Sure," Vegeta said, the first premonition of something being off went up Callion's spine then, as she drew herself up and glanced at him in confusion. _'You'll pay for thinking of yourself as my father… my real father was more of a warrior and man than you ever could have been…'_ "Sure, it's the least I could do."

And with one cry he whipped up his arm and with eyes narrowed and reddened with hatred at his broken toy, his wrecked tutor and failed lackey, as everyone stared at him stunned too much so to move but none more so than the terrified Nappa.

_'Wh-wh-what? He wouldn't! He-he-he c-c-can't! I love you! I loved and saved you from your own father, twice!' _Nappa's thoughts were in a frenzy as he screamed in terror.

"Ve-Vegeta what are you doing!?" Callion screamed also, almost hysterical with terror as well, "He's one of our own!"

Vegeta ignored her though, this was a lesson for her, because she'd soon be next if he had it his way, he should have followed Turles advice about Nappa years ago he thought, "Maybe you won't be such a disappointment, when you're dead!"

Transfixed in terror for even her own life then, she just stared open-mouthed without thought as she strove to piece together what was going on, not that she could have done anything as Vegeta began to charge up in a crackle of electrical ki energy, cackling insanely as he did so.

"Wow this is intense," Goku gasped through gritted teeth barely managing to hold his ground even as Callion was thrown back a few feet before she regained her footing with a short cry of surprise.

"Dad, what's happening?" Gohan yelped as he held onto his daddy's knee and pressed his face into it, it was too terrible to feel let alone watch, he was scared more than ever before he only hoped he wouldn't hurt his daddy with this attack.

"Woah, that guy's powering up, hold on!" Krillin answered in place of Goku.

"Goodbye," Vegeta bit out, enjoying every last second of the delicious terror he was inspiring and the look of utter betrayal and heartbreak on Nappa's face as he fell back towards him, pulled by gravity towards the blast that would ultimately be his undoing.

"N-nnnnoooooo Vegetaaaa! Helpppp mmeee Caaaallllllll!" Nappa screamed as the bright blue blast engulfed him, crushing and disintegrating him into nothing, even as he cried out for help, the last sensation he felt, being one of excruciating agony as every second felt akin to an eternity.

"Mwuhahahahaha!" Vegeta cackled as he licked his lips, turned on by the stench of burnt flesh that wafted down to him, _'I sure can use a woman right now, hopefully a resisting one damn that felt beyond words. Turles was right, nothing quite like butchering another Saiyan, especially slowly cooking him whilst he still draws breath…'_

Everyone covered their eyes and planted their feet firmly where they were (except for the dangling Gohan who clung to Goku, and thus managed to keep from going flying), as all the mountains in the neighbouring area were decimated into nothing.

The first to react was Callion, who was also the first to speak as she stared wide-eyed, trembling to the side gaping at where Nappa had been her hand extended out to him, as though to try to help though she couldn't.

"N-Nappa?" She breathed stunned and afraid, unable no incapable of understanding what it was that had just happened. Did Vegeta just murder his own surrogate father? _'I thought Turles or Frieza were evil, but not even Frieza would ever kill his own father! This is beyond even Cooler! Oh shit, what am I gonna do? I've been nothing but a bitch to him, he's gonna kill me for sure!'_

Vegeta glanced here and there, searching for the enemy who seem to have disappeared from behind him, he swiftly found Callion some distance away staring at him open-mouthed in shock, only to flinch when his eyes passed over her. There'd be time enough to kill that wench later, maybe after enjoying her a little, he mused but now he had a real fight to enjoy. He had a Saiyan to put down.

Then he noticed them; the Earthlings all huddled together in the air out of the corner of his eyes, where Goku had apparently pulled them away from the ground and storm of falling debris/boulders that had been thrown about because of Vegeta's sudden attack.

"I-I can't believe it!" Krillin yelped as he gawked at the irredeemable and remorseless alien prince far below them, as Goku held onto his right hand, to keep him in the air. "He completely obliterated his own teammate."

In Goku's right arm, he held the gaping Gohan who boggled at the spot where Nappa had previously occupied on the ground.

_'How evil can you get?'_ Was Goku's unspoken question as he stared down in outrage at the prince far below him, such a horrible atrocity to inflict upon your own. _'How could he do that to his own friend? What kind of monster is he? Even King Piccolo at least cared for his lackeys and minions that he created, there was no honour in such a cold-blooded murder.'_

At the expressions of stunned disgust and uncertainty on the faces of everyone else, Vegeta smirked in self-satisfaction, pleased to finally see a bit of fear or nervousness on their faces, and to have finally reduced the mouthy Callion to silence.

"Gohan, Krillin it's time for you guys to head back to Master Roshi's," Goku ordered as he suddenly became more aware of their presence, he had to get them out of there, and as he studied Vegeta's posture intently he let go of the two who stared up at him, as they began to float alongside him.

"B-but dad!"

"I uh see," Krillin said, realizing that they'd only get in the way if they stuck around and that Goku was more worried about them than himself (as always), shifting his attention to the five-years old he did something he had avoided doing and hadn't done all day; he raised his voice at him. "Gohan, Gohan! Listen to your dad, let's get going."

"N-no, I can't go," Gohan protested, couldn't Krillin see that his daddy might need him? He wasn't sure how, but he just had to stay and help his daddy.

_'He gets this stubborn rebellious streak from Chi-Chi, 'cause I remember when Goku was young, and he never defied someone else's orders as a kid,' _Krillin reflected as he narrowed his eyes at the boy, amazed by how much of mix of Son Goku and Son Chi-Chi he was, how he could be so much like Goku one minute then Chi-Chi the next.

"Don't you get it? I don't wanna leave either, but these guys are in a different league, altogether. That Saiyan could even use us against your dad if he got a hold of you or me, and threatened to hurt us," Krillin explained harshly waving a hand at the taller figure of Goku as he stared down Gohan sternly.

Gohan blinked at him hurt, with a small amount of doubt, he then blinked again and looked to his father for confirmation, knowing he'd have the answer just as he always did to all problems, great and small. "Daddy, is that true?"

Goku smiled down at him gently, yet gravely, "Yes Gohan, Krillin's right I'll be much better off if I face him alone."

"Hmm, alright whatever you say," Gohan sulked pouting down unhappily, he finally got to be reunited with his daddy and already they were being separated, it wasn't fair.

"Oh yeah, Goku, don't rely on grabbing his tail," Krillin warned Goku importantly, as he suddenly remembered how well that plan worked out against Nappa, "We already tried that."

Goku blinked and gawked at him, startled yet Krillin wasn't finished explaining what happened, "See Piccolo tried grabbing that big guy's tail and he got hammered for it, really bad." His gaze moved to all the fallen corpses of their friends, their beautiful, ravaged family as he bowed his head in grief, "They all fought so hard. I can't believe they're gone. They did their best, we all did. But in the end, I guess we just didn't have what it took." He then remembered one other detail about the tails, "Supposedly it only works on the girl, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one."

"Oh, yeah what about her? Has she fought?" Goku asked looking to get more info out of the third Saiyan, the one he hadn't expected._ 'I thought there were only male Saiyans left in the universe, interesting.'_

"Um, no but I can tell you this much; she really wanted to keep Gohan alive and seemed to not care one whit about Piccolo, the Dragonballs or even me," Krillin explained hesitantly, wishing he had managed to glean more info from the enemy about her, he glanced in her direction only to note how shaken she looked, "Man she sure doesn't look too happy, I think she actually liked the big guy."

"Yeah," Goku agreed, having noticed that detail too.

"She was really nice, she gave me lots of space-candy and even Krillin one," Gohan added with a small grin, as he remembered the sweets he hastily added the Krillin part as he remembered all the times Goku had told him not to accept candy from strangers, and because he casually figured that by giving him the container she had by extension given Krillin candy too.

"I guess, though I still wouldn't say I trust her, she also spoke of honour, so I don't quite know what to make of her," Krillin stated honestly, yet certain that she was definitely not on their side, "Piccolo even suggested we could maybe get her to switch sides on the midget over there, but I don't know. I'm not sure we could do that before you finish this battle."

"Then I guess, it's up to me to finish this," Goku stated a note of indignation in his voice, _'Give me your strength everyone, because I can't do it without each of you. But I swear this to you all, I'll make him pay for destroying you all.'_

"H-hey dad? Pl-please come home, you have to win." Gohan begged, staring up at him with those big dark eyes, he got from his mother.

"Don't worry," He said to him with as much confidence as he could must, his left hand reaching down to ruffle and pat his son's head, having waited a full year to do just that, and now that he had, he had to live to do it again soon.

"But of course, you'll come home Goku," Krillin declared almost pompously so, so confidence sounding was he then. "After what I've seen, there isn't anything that could stop you."

_'I wish I could believe that,'_ Goku thought to himself, as he had a lot less confidence after that blast, that he could take this guy on by himself, but he wasn't so sure anymore. "Thanks, Krillin." He forced a grin onto his lips, "It's time try not to worry about me. I'll be just fine."

"You could waste all the time you want with your pathetic goodbyes, but you're simply postponing the inevitable." Vegeta shouted at them, sure of his own victory only to consider the two smaller ones, hmm they might just be able to put that wench to use, turning his head to her he growled at her, "Callion how long do you plan to stand there, gawking you useless woman?"

"It's too bad, it seems he's really determined to end things this way," Goku noted as he joked to himself, "He sure would make a good sparring partner, if he wasn't so psychotic that is."

Goku was startled when a hand was raised within his line of sight, it was Krillin who had extended in an old gesture they had started to exchange back when they were eight years old, shortly before their first tournament together.

"Hey, Goku," Krillin rasped his throat suddenly drier than it was before, "You're my friend, we grew up together just make sure that-" Krillin closed his eyes searching for the right words for one long couple of moments only for him to re-open his eyes and meet Goku's having found them at long last, "-That we grow old together too."

Moved, as his throat suddenly felt dry and tight, Goku grasped his arm back warmth filling his chest as he smiled back down, when he spoke it was with raw emotion and more sincerity than he had ever spoken with since his beloved Gohan was born. "Right, I couldn't have asked for a better best-friend than you Krillin."

"G-goodbye daddy," Gohan sniffled tugging at the cloth on his pants heart in his eyes even as his eyes conveyed the heartbreak he felt at this goodbye.

"Goodbye Gohan, I'm very proud of you," Goku murmured with even more sincerity than when talking to Krillin, ruffling his son's hair lovingly as he fought back his own tears, they were cut from the same cloth after all. He smiled down at his son, trying to convey in seconds, with one look, with one grin what Gohan could possibly mean to him, to somehow let him know that he loved him more than anyone ever would or ever could, besides maybe Chi-Chi. He wasn't sure he succeeded, so he opted for trying to cheer him up, even as his own voice shook a little before it steadied, "H-hey I bet your mom's back at Master Roshi's, go give her a big hug for me, okay?"

_'Chi-Chi, I wish there was time to-best not to think about her right now, I might lose courage or might just double back to see her once more,'_ He told himself, missing her hugs, her strength, her passion. Heck, he even missed how she smelled like pine-cones and jasmine, from the combination of the woods they lived in and the shampoo she used. What he missed even more, was her smile and her giggles. _'Chi-Chi…'_

"Can you do that for me Gohan?" He asked of his son hopefully, maybe if it came from Gohan she'd understand what it was he felt, or thought. _'It's gotta be better than asking a proud young boy to give a big kiss on the cheek or something to his mommy.'_

This would always be how Gohan remembered him, his daddy. Brave, resolute and strong, he carved the handsome young face that smiled down at him, full of gentle love and kind wisdsom. It would be what would sustain him, what would inspire him on the nights on the trip to Namek, on the days when he waited for him to come home after that adventure.  
And later, in a dark future, when all were butchered around him, it would be this face that would comfort a lonely, traumatized young hero when the darkness and shadows grew too thick and too cruel for him on dark nights. When the Androids would torture humanity, Gohan would always look back to this moment, and remember what it meant to be a hero, what it meant to be a Son and what it also meant to sacrifice what you wanted for others and what it meant to love wholly and completely. Which was something, no monsters, no Androids could ever take away from you.

"Ye-yes," Gohan said with a teary nod to his dad, that admiring look in his eyes chasing away the fearful, traumatized one as he smiled back.

_'Good, he's smiling again, it's all I can hope for after this, bloody day.'_ Goku thought to himself drinking in the sight of his smiling face, _'yosh, I can live to see tomorrow and even die a happy man, since I got to see my son's smiling face one last time.'_

"Go get 'em Goku." Krillin whispered from next to him right before he began to descend back to the ground.

In the meantime, Vegeta had been dealing with his last surviving lapdop, who continued to shake and stare at him, "But you just-you just killed Nappa!"

"Yes, so?"

"He raised you, he-he loved you and you just butchered him like cattle!" Callion stuttered in shock, taking one step back no quippy comments on her lips as she stared at him wide-eyed, _'Is he gonna kill me next? Am I gonna die so disgracefully as Nappa did? Is this the day, all those horrible deeds come back around upon me?'_

"He was weak, and useless and I have no need for a Saiyan who cannot fight." Vegeta spat, losing what little control over his terrible temper, "Now listen woman, you are going to do something for me. You are going to serve, and if I say you fight, or die or live you will do so, I've told you before; your life is mine to give or take. Got that?"

_'He really means it, what a monster! He's by far, more evil than Cooler and Frieza put together,'_ Callion realized as she stared into his eyes, trembling not even noticing Goku descending some distance away from them yet remaining there in midair.

"You two done yet?" Goku asked wryly, eyes darting between them as he examined them, he had yet to be told all that much about the female who seemed to be as scared of the violent prince as Gohan and Krillin were.

"Not quite, now Callion you are going to stay here and try, try to make yourself useful by murdering Kakarot's remaining friend and his son too, got that?" Vegeta growled first at Goku then at her, not even realizing that Goku had just heard his entire 'plan'. "I doubt you can pull it off, what with how weak you are."

Normally Callion would make a snippy comment about being weak, and yet she could barely summon enough salive to lick her lips and wet them, let alone snap back about being weak.

She caught herself just as she began to shake her head in the negative, only to blink a little and sag, as she stared at the ground in defeat. _'I won't die a dog. I refuse, but I can't just say no, else I'll die a dog's death.'_

Goku considered the situation, he could easily stop her right now, it'd be a simple task, but he could see that her resolve was shaken, her devotion to her own cause non-existent. Vegeta couldn't see the effect his words and actions were having on her, but Goku was smarter, he could see it.

_'There's only so many times you can beat a dog, before it bites back,' _He mused with a small smirk, maybe just maybe he could use her to his advantage, or at least get her to see reason and leave the Earth in peace.

Turning back to Goku with a smug look on his face as he patted himself on the back, "So Kakarot, you ready to get this over with?"

"I know a better place to fight than this," Goku informed him, with a wry grin. _'The fight's gone out of her, that murder really shook her up.'_

"It doesn't matter, just lead the way." Vegeta ordered him coldly with his own smirk.

"I'll have to make sure you don't shoot me in the back, on the way then," Goku joked back and though the tone seemed light his eyes found Callion's right before they fired off into the distance, with Vegeta not even paying it any mind as he figured that was Goku's idea of a joke.

The message was clear to Goku and he tried to convey it subtlely to Callion, _'your days are numbered so long as you stick with Vegeta'._ Did she really want to stick with someone who'd kill her at the drop of a hat without a second's hesitation?

_'He's trying to either taunt or remind me of Nappa, but-but what do I do?'_ Callion asked herself, if she disobeyed it'd be high treason what with how much Frieza favoured Vegeta and how high ranking he was, but if she didn't, she'd die ignobly on some backwater either today or later in the week.

"Bye daddy," Gohan mumbled to his father's departing back as he sped off with the homicidal Saiyan prince.

"Well, there they go," Krillin remarked to him, having forgotten about the third Saiyan.

"Yeah," Gohan answered wistfully, wishing he could be headed into battle with his dad, it was all that he really wanted in that moment.

It was all the boy could do, to not go after them, so fearful, so doubtful was he for his father. After a day of losing all those he and his father had grown up looking up to, or competing with dying, the lad could hardly be blamed for his uncertainty of victory. Nauseous at the mere notion of losing his daddy, the one who had always held him, protected him and otherwise fed, told him stories before bed and even bathed him since his most tender days, with the past year without those things having been a living hell for him.

Hungry to return to those comfortable, joyous days the child's heart was in his eyes, as his spirit had all but gone after the Saiyan duo, in stark contrast to his body which had been left behind. How Goku could expect Gohan to leave him, after a year apart, was something that the boy couldn't quite understand. Because, for all that he was certain that Goku could win this fight, he couldn't help feeling unsure of victory so long as he couldn't see this with his own eyes.

On the other hand, he did want to go back to his mother, keen to be held by her, to be told that everything that had happened today was but a bad dream. Strong beyond measure, she could always make every problem seem small, every threat seem nothing in comparison to her strength, just as surely as Goku made him feel cherished, she made him feel completely safe. But he couldn't quite imagine leaving to go back to her without his father, how would he be able to live with himself if he could have helped his daddy, only to leave him to die? Tears almost came to the boy's eyes at this thought, and at the remembered loss of Goku's death from a year prior, combined with the more recent loss of Piccolo and Kami, one a mentor and the other a grandfatherly figure.

"Gohan, I uh, well I guess we better get going," Krillin said interrupting his thoughts, the boy barely had time to nod before a figure suddenly appeared in the air throwing Krillin back and making him jump and cry out in terror at the same time as the startled Gohan did.

"Forgetting something short-stuff?" Callion demanded, having recovered some of her shaken wits, gritting her teeth she scowled at them, _'To be reduced to being a measly attack-dog, ugh Ban would weep with shame.'_

"UWOOAAH! Where did you come fro-never mind, aren't you going to go with your buddy?" Krillin stuttered in terror, as he pointed behind him with his thumb towards the horizon where the two male Saiyans had disappeared.

"I thought you were going to go help my daddy," Gohan pipped up drawing a startled look from both the Saiyan and human, "I mean, aren't you?"

"What?! Ohuhahahahahaha! You must be joking, I'm a Saiyan, why would I side against my own kind?" Callion demanded even as her mind raced with desperation, and argued with her bitterly._ 'So was Nappa and fat lot of good that did for him. But me fight those two, maybe I should just r-no Cooler would have me killed if Frieza didn't for desertion, dammit!'_

Which left her with only two choices, unfortunately for her, the two shorter fighters had already caught on to this little fact. One out of naïveté and the other out of sheer desperation too. With the latter remembering one little scheme that Piccolo had suggested while Goku had all but set it, in motion. The midget aware that if he wanted to live, it was up to him to continue where the child had inadvertently left off.

"Yeah, but so was that big guy, I mean, and it didn't matter to your boss now did it?" Krillin pointed out even as he struggled to come up with a better argument, _'We gotta get away from this crazy broad! I mean, she's a Saiyan too which basically makes her all but psychotic by nature.'_

"Shut up!" Callion ordered him irritably, not needing him to interrupt her as she was trying to think, she needed to think of a getaway plan or some way to make this work for her, raising her hand she began to charge it up ready to blast them to pieces if they even so much as moved a muscle against her.

"Why, help that big bully? I mean, he doesn't seem to like you and was more than willing to kill the only one out of you guys that he did like." Gohan argued hurt by her actions and attempt to keep him from his mommy.

_'Vegeta did open the floodgates by murdering a Saiyan, this is how all internecine wars begin, how extinction will claim us; with us butchering each other in a desperate power-struggle, didn't I once think that about Turles or even Radditz should he gain more power?'_ Callion realized with a start as she squeezed her eyes shut, she couldn't let these two fools, these inferiors order her about or manipulate her. She was smarter than them, smarter than Vegeta, brains was all she had to help her survive the other Saiyans and Frieza's cruelty, and yet it seemed unwilling to work on her command as it was supposed to do then.

Instead all she felt was more panic start flooding her, as she had to admit that Gohan had a point; wasn't Nappa the favourite? If Vegeta could kill him, then why stop there? Why not kill her too?

"I'm the last of the female Saiyans, if I don't survive he'll have no one to breed with," She argued weakly, not wanting to but inadvertently beginning to argue aloud with the two Earthlings.

"I don't think that really matters to him," Gohan mumbled to himself, leaping onto the one point of contention that Krillin was about to utilize against her. Stumping the woman, with a child's logic with the infant showing that he was more observant than the average child, just as his father had been by the time of the war against the Red Ribbon Army. "Why wouldn't he kill you right afterwards?"

"Yeah, and if he did, he's the sort of guy to want to take you by force, then kill you when he's done with you." Krillin added, now seeing a way to not just survive this but turn this to their advantage.

Since he was young, Krillin has always been endowed with a knack for mischief, for pranks and for turning people against each other. For years though, he hadn't utilized that part of him, that trickster in him as he had for a long time been ashamed of his misdeeds as a child.

_'Yet here, I need to be as manipulative, and as persuasive as humanly possible, if we could just get her to see that she doesn't stand a chance of living on that Vegeta guy's side, then we are sure to have yet another edge over him as she seems to be the second strongest and the smartest of those guys.'_ Krillin mused to himself, as he studied the uncertain, panicking woman in front of him, _'Not to mention, why risk our necks to kill him, when we can get them to fight amongst themselves and do each other in? This might just work.'_

"I said; to SHUT UP!"

"Then go ahead and fire, but then what are you going to do? Goku was willing to spare that Nappa guy you liked so much, and he'd never betray his comrades. Yet you're about to choose that treacherous boss of yours, over a real chance at living and surviving." Krillin snapped, before he got a shaky grin on his face, "I know what you are; you're afraid. Seems to me that, you're just too chicken to fight back against that Vegeta guy."

By now Callion was glaring at him, she could fire on him but why bother? He spoke sense, and killing him wouldn't prove a thing, only that she feared what he had to say. At the implication that she feared Vegeta she started to cackle, almost hysterically as she then told him, "You fools, if only you knew, what I know; of course I fear him, he's not just a little stronger than me, but a lot! He's the strongest Saiyan in the universe, after Turles."

"And? You think you're plenty strong, and smart so's Goku, so why not join forces you know as well as we do that two heads, are better than one." Krillin retorted reasonably, as he continued to smirk at her in spite of how his body shook.

"Please, miss Callion! You gotta help my daddy! He's all alone, and he never hurt anyone he was just protecting us." Gohan murmured pleadingly, hoping to appeal to her better nature, something that many had tried in the past fifteen years, and none had until now succeeded in doing. Yet none of those infants, had Gohan's big black eyes, or innate sweetness, with even Callion hesitating before speaking out.

"Sorry kid, your dad could be Mr. Congeniality for all I care, I'm not risking my neck for someone-"

"-Else? Then why not yourself?" Krillin asked, cutting her off abruptly.

"Hm? You got a point, you wanna make before I kill you short-stuff?" Callion growled back impatiently, figuring she'd give him a few last words before she removed his flapping jaw from his face.

"I mean, you know we don't stand a chance, what honour is there in that? And what honour is there in dying pathetically to your own chief, when you can at least try to save your own neck. You must at least want to live, right? So why not go help Goku out to save your own neck." Krillin explained seeing that though Callion claimed to not be affected by his words that, they were indeed having an effect on her. Even so though, he opted then for another tactic, one that was almost sure to work. "Okay, don't risk it all for Goku, or even me, heck don't even listen to us or your orders. My master says, that when things go really wrong, just close your eyes and listen to the voice in your own heart."

"Sounds like shit to me."

"Hey! There's a kid present!"

"Aww, you guys don't have to worry about me, I've heard worse from Piccolo," Gohan assured them with a a small grin.

"Should we be worried about that?" Callion wondered glancing at Krillin who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, unsure only for her to shake it off and say in a tsun-tsun manner, "Just cause I asked that, doesn't mean anything, you got that?"

"Who knows," Krillin had initially answered her first question only to roll his eyes at her 'tsun' moment, _'We're getting to her,'_ he realized, okay now was the time to really drive it home, if not well, it wasn't as though they had many other choices. "Well? Care to try it? I thought you were a big, strong, independent woman who didn't need to listen to men's orders, but could make her decisions on her own."

"Shut up, but fine let me just think for a minute," Callion snapped as he did just that, not closing her eyes that is, that'd just be asking for a sneak attack.

_'It's true I can't fight Vegeta alone, it is also true that I can't run away, neither Frieza nor Cooler would listen, King Cold couldn't care less he'd just hand me over to either of his sons. And if Vegeta wins and I don't help Kakarot, then I'll just live a bit longer, not for much longer mind you, I'll just end up bearing his whelp or annoying him a bit too much one day, or get really badly injured in a few days and he'll choose to end it.'_ Callion realized full of despair, _'I thought I had a few more years, to raise my power-level and then I'd defy him, or transfer over to Cold's division or something or if it did come to a clash, that I'd have plenty of years to prep. But this? This is too soon, and then there's the fact that he killed Nappa.'_

It was then that she realized that ever since Nappa had been blasted, she had already made her decision, she had just to realize that it was made for her. _'He has to pay, for that. And if it means we third-classes must ban together to overthrow him, then so be it.'_

"Miss Callion?" Gohan murmured but was shushed by the more experienced Krillin.

"Quiet Gohan, let me handle this, just wait and you'll see."

"Um, okay." The boy uttered, he had faith in his uncle, aware that he was the wiser of the two of them, and that as the adult he was in charge.

Callion opened her eyes, steely determination in her eyes, _'He wasn't just a second class, he was my comrade you sick son of bitch.'_

"Out of the way you two, now scram before I change my mind," She told them frigidly, brushing/flying past them to blast off after Goku.

"Thank you, Miss Callion!" Gohan called after her, as Krillin let out a huge sigh of relief.

"PHEW! Thought we were goners there for a minute, man I wouldn't want to be Vegeta when she gets through with him," Krillin muttered to himself as he wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his right-fist. "Now c'mon, Gohan we gotta get to Kame House."

"Are you sure though? She said Vegeta was plenty strong," Gohan asked reluctantly following after him.

"Yeah, but between her and Goku they're bound to put more than a dent into him."

"If you say so," Gohan said doubtfully, wishing he could turn around to go back, and help them he had been so useless during the battle with Nappa, he just wanted a second chance to make things right. Another chance to prove, he could fight and prove that he wasn't just some weak little child or a nuisance.

"Hey, Gohan try not to worry, your dad knows what he's doing he's got everything under control," Krillin assured him, confident of Goku's victory, "And besides we just sent that Saiyan's own teammate after him, at least I hope she's going back to help him and not the other guy."

Seeing Gohan bow his head with a doubtful look in his eyes, Krillin opted for exuberance over calm reassurance, as he chortled a little and held up his fist in a cheery, confident gesture, "Hey really, I mean it! Goku is the toughest guy in the whole world!" Placing his left hand on Gohan's right shoulder, he added with a warm smile, "Plus, you and I are a team. We really did great today, don't you think?"

That finally got through to the boy, who glanced up almost shyly as he slowly returned the warm grin his friend had shot him, nodding he agreed, "Yeah."

As they took off in the opposite direction to Goku and the other Saiyans, Krillin spoke up, finally sounding a little tired for the first time in a while, as he honestly was beyond thought having exhausted his mind, body and even heart past their usual abilities or limits. All he could think about then, was sleeping for a year, and eating some of Roshi's finest steaks or grilled fish, then he'd mourn, he supposed, for all that had been lost today, and for his own inability to help when anyone really needed him.

"Now let's get you back to your mother, bet she'll be pretty happy to see you_." 'And I'll just be glad to see Roshi, again.'_

_'Please dad, be careful,' _Gohan thought as they began to make their way towards Kame House, still unsure if they were making the right decision or that his dad wouldn't need him, but following Krillin nonetheless, northwards in contrast to the south-eastern flight pattern of the two adult Saiyans.

* * *

_'I got to be careful, there's no telling how powerful he is,'_ Goku mused with a grim look behind him at Vegeta who was having no troubles with keeping up with him, on their way south towards an even more deserted, mountainous area except this one was an island and even harder to get to. It was an old stop-over for the Red Ribbon Army, for their smuggling division who used to transport goods all throughout the world, with Goku having discovered it during his war against them and having shut down the smuggling ring himself years ago, back when he was nine.

It brought back memories, years ago he had gone there more by chance than by design when he and Krillin had gone their separate ways around the world with the design to improve themselves as Roshi had once done. With the then young Goku, horrified to discover a slave-trade that centered around that one isle, which was how he got involved.

_'Then there were the narcotics, I'll never forget the things I saw then, or the happiness those families expressed when they were all reunited, who knows how many lives were broken by the drugs and the addictions, they caused though.' _Goku thought to himself sadly, if it had been Gohan who'd suffered such a fate he wasn't sure how he'd go on, or if he'd have even let the mad Gero go. But such thoughts and memories were best left in the past at the moment, and besides; Dr. Gero hadn't done anything in years, so maybe that proved that morality and mercy were best that day.

It would also give him a slight edge he figured, with the knowledge of the surroundings, the awareness of where most things were, which mountains were which and where the caves were located. It was not much of an edge, but if he needed to buy time, or do some sneak-attacks, surely such an edge could do nothing but good for him?

_'I'll need all the help I can get for this fight,'_ Goku thought as he spotted the island after a few more seconds of flight, even as he sent a prayer up to his greatest rival that he'd ever have, _'Let's hope Piccolo that you were right, and that that other Saiyan might change sides. Because, I'm sure even she could be of use today, even if I'm not sure if the both of us could stand a chance against this guy.'_

"Yeah, no one will get hurt if we fight all the way out here," the noble hero commented as he reached out to sense if anyone was present, he didn't sense anyone, not for miles and even then, it was a single-person who was headed towards the southern-tip of the island more than likely, preparing to leave the place, as for seeing anyone? None that he could see, though come to think of it that power-level seemed familiar, maybe he should check it out after the battle if he survived that is. _'This place is exactly as I remembered it, it saddens and pleases me all at the same time, I'm glad no one is here but-couldn't somebody have overcome the dark memories of Gero and Red and colonize, the northern shore? The fishermen were scared of this place years ago, and I suppose they still are, lucky for us today but still, wish they'd overcome the dark times.'_

Pushing the thoughts of the old Red Ribbon Wars as they were now called, away from him and all that it entailed, the human raised Saiyan swooped in for a landing, his decision made for where to start this battle, after selecting a high cliff in the series of canyons. _'Right, where that last girl, Vanilla had hidden, shaking having fled from her captors before they could hook her, just like on that day, that hill will be where the stand of defiance against tyranny and evil is made. And it gives a suitable tactical advantage, with giving high-ground, a perfect view of the surrounding area and plenty of space to move.'_

Vegeta was startled for a few seconds when Kakarot, whom he'd been trailing for minutes on end vanished completely from view. He had just begun to get bored, and consider attacking Kakarot out of impatience when the other Saiyan simply vanished.

_'I can't let him out of sight, he's about to mount an immediate attack I just know it!' _Vegeta thought frantically as he panicked for a few seconds, looking about all over with his eyes, not to the south, not to the north, nor was he west, nor di-oh wait there he was having landed on some small mountain/hill in a series of canyons.

Deciding that as the better man, he should stand on the higher hill, though he didn't consider how there was no place to hide, sure there was a lot of space to manoeuvre around but with the tall hill behind him blocking his view in that direction and any movement there. And with a network of caves, mountains and rolling rocky hills behind Goku, this left Goku seemingly blocked off but if one was to look closer, they'd find that he'd actually chosen the perfect defensive spot.

The best thing to do, would be to strike at him from behind or above, and deny him any opportunities that lay to his right, left or behind him, yet Vegeta did none of those things so sure of his own superiority and victory was he, as he came in for a landing with his arms crossed.

Smirking as he crossed his arms, confident of victory as he well knew his own birth to be a superior one not to mention with his superior powers and mind, there was no way he could lose he thought. Though it suddenly seemed a waste, he realized to kill such a useful Saiyan, Nappa was dead and he would need someone to do things for him, what with how Radditz was also dead, Callion weak not to mention useless, and with Turles having vanished, this left him alone. Or soon to be alone.

"Kakarot, I have a proposition for you," He began grandly certain that the man before him wouldn't be foolish enough to turn him down, even as the wind blew through their hair, "I'm only going to say this once so listen carefully, I Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans (prince of a whole three people, what a nation, Goku thought sarcastically) would like to offer you, Kakarot the opportunity to stand beside me in this conquest. With Nappa gone, and Callion soon to join him due to her lesser gender and inherent weaknesses physically that accompany said gender and rank, I could use a good _man_. Think about it; we would rule the planet, you could have anything you desired. There's no one in the universe that could touch us! Nothing would be out of your grasp."

This last part wasn't true, and Vegeta should have known it though he'd conveniently in that moment forgotten all about Freiza and his even more ominous, even more cruel older brother. There was no telling how they'd take such a revolt, doubtlessly they'd hunt him down and make him regret ever betraying them, were Nappa or Callion present they'd have likely reminded him of that key detail. But without his nurse-maids, to keep him from running amok the nihilistic royal had no need, for foresight, no ability to realize just how damned he'd be and how doomed such a scheme would turn out.

_'I wonder if they churn these guys out on conveyor belts or teach them all to give the same speech over and over again,'_ Goku mused, remembering the speech given to him almost on this very spot when he was nine, or how Radditz had delivered almost the same lecture word for word. The only thing he knew that Vegeta and Radditz could not offer up was peace of mind and freedom.

He'd be giving up a free life, to live that of a slave, with no hope for freedom or to truly do as he pleased. As for peace of mind and happiness, in Goku's experience they were of a greater value than simple greed or lust for power. Because, madness begat madness, anger, greed, vanity; these things would only drive one to a greater frenzy to own, to have more and in the end the individual would be despoiled and would lose all. He'd seen it happen to countless men, of stronger conviction and sounder mind than this guy.

Besides, Goku already had everything he wanted and would soon have the rest of it back; he had family, people he loved and who loved him. He had siblings who had lovingly raised him, a loving wife, a perfect son and parents who'd die for him and loved him beyond words and whom he loved just as much. When who knew if his Saiyan parents had even cared enough to have even looked at him, given what little he knew about his birth-people's society.

_'Poor guy, he's little more than a slave,'_ Goku thought with a great swell of pity for Vegeta, who had no idea how such a terrible unwise quest, would turn out, how terrible the price would be. _'He doesn't even realize that he'll never be free, that so long as he keeps slavering and drooling for more, he'll simply end up more and more miserable, alone and will someday die to an even worse, even slimier monster out to take his place out from under him, just as Black did to Red, heck Vegeta did the same to Nappa.'_

"Well, what do you say Kakarot?" Vegeta asked not seeing the pity, the ridicule and how there had not even been a second's hesitation in Goku's heart, as he resisted the urge to laugh at the prince, to laugh at his pathetic and vain lack of ambition and inability to see what was right in front of him.

_'True ambition, would be to aspire to freedom, to live as you like outside systems, and outside what people expect, to aspire to the top of the mountain, and aspire to joy, to life itself and to living true to one's heart.'_ Goku thought as he remembered what Roshi and Piccolo and even Kami had taught him, about how ambition should be mixed with honour to aspire to what was right for oneself, as well as others. That to enslave oneself to empires, to misery or to any other such petty thing was the opposite of it.

"I have everything, I could ever want right here on Earth, so I'll have to say no thanks," Goku retorted with a mocking grin on his face, if Vegeta could look down on him, why not return the favour, with a bit of interest? Vegeta looked positively livid with outrage and anger, at him turning his offer down.

_'THIS… INSECT! Dares to refuse me!? The heir to the Vegetan royal line? I will make him pay for this, dearly…'_ Vegeta growled in his mind, ready to spout that off to this fool, but Goku wasn't finished speaking.

"Besides, I've seen how you treat your partners, not much job security," He drawled still with that over-confident smirk on his face, _'Evil begets more evil, you'd think you'd have realized that by now. But you soon will, karma exists my friend and it will all come around upon you someday, mark my words, it will.'_

The only thing that gave Vegeta any sort of amusement then, was the knowledge of Nappa's death just replaying it in his mind made him snicker, though his eyes remained unforgiving, furious and hateful. He hated Kakarot for turning him down, for making him look foolish for even having extended his offer and for pushing him into having to fight his own battle.

"Then so be it, you had your chance." The pose that Vegeta took was more reminiscent of one of Frieza's back when the murderous tyrant had tried to teach him Martial Arts, it hadn't gone over very well, with the tyrant giving up almost immediately, deeming Vegeta too stupid and incompetent to understand it, the one kata's pose though had remained, taught into muscle memory even though Vegeta couldn't remember the rest of the kata even in his bones. And this pose was more a mockery to Goku, to Freiza, and to all those that defied or looked down upon him, as he didn't actually care for the actual art of combat, because combat wasn't an art, it was fun, it was killing, how could it ever be an art-form? Vegeta didn't know much in truth about Martial Arts, or their philosphies (or any philosophies for that matter) he didn't care and only knew a bit of boxing and some combat drills, taught to him by Frieza and the much more patient, Nappa.

Goku on the other hand, took a classic pose not derived from the Turtle School, but the Divine School or Kami School as others called it, a good defensive and offensive posture, it would allow for quick reactions with the forward right fist, while the left one remained behind him raised high. Unseen for potential sneak-attacks, to throw the enemy off, and to also be ready to strike at any given moment. It would also by being raised high, serve the purpose of making him seem more threatening, giving an air of size and strength that otherwise weren't there in comparison to the enemy's strength. A constant reminder that like a scorpion, he had a tale, which was exactly what the kata was called 'Scorpion's blow', as Kami had taught him after a year of training, and thirty-eight other katas.

Though the Turtle, Crane and even Wolf styles were the pinnacle of Earth-based Martial-Arts, the truly finest schools on Earth, were probably the Demon and Divine Schools. Though Goku didn't in truth practice the Demon School founded by Piccolo, as he had never been accepted into it, he was the finest practitioner of the Divine one, which he more than appreciated, also because of it's founder, Kami. His dear friend and confidante.

_'I swear it to you Kami, that though you may believe you abandoned us by not being able to join us today, it is your school, your methods that will see us through today. I'll honour you, by using what you taught me to win today,' _Goku vowed to his old friend, mentor and all but semi-father figure then, he'd rely upon his teachings, just as he would upon his other mentors and friends; Bulma, Yamcha, Roshi, Piccolo and King Kai, they were all there with him, each and every last one of them were there to fight and help him win today. He could feel it in his very bones, just as he could feel Chi-Chi's love with every heart-beat, or Krillin's friendship with every breeze of wind in his hair.

They stood there for eons. Worlds were born and others ended in that long moment. As they stood there two figures, both the perfect embodiments of what they believed in and came from. One of light, another of darkness. One of good, the other pure evil.

Goku was the finest humanity could offer, believing in sound thinking, culture, was sophisticated not just as a warrior but as a man. He believed in humanity, loved it and was believed and loved by it in turn, for the most part. He was also gentle, strong and wise, just as all humans can be, he was also capable of anger, frustration and could be something of a show-off for his wife and son, even as he delighted in mischief and tomfoolery, just as many people do. He loved life and believed all should embrace all of its multitudes of joys, that every moment, every breath had value and that fighting itself should be a sport, not a battle of life and death, it should be done with rules, honour and everyone should walk away with dignity and having learned something from it.

Vegeta on the other hand, was everything the Saiyans believed in and aspired to; he didn't believe in anything, he hated culture and didn't understand a scrap of it, even as he was barbaric, uncouth and dogmatic in his perception and ideas. He hated people, hated what they represented and was hated in turn even more so, because of his savagery and hatred. He was cruel, vain and short-sighted, just as most of his Saiyan raised people were. He was also quick to anger, easily frustrated, over-sensitive and delighted in the suffering and pain of others. Further, he could not understand just how his actions affected others, not unlike an immature child, he believed all should center around him, it began with him and ended there, and that he should always be the center of attention, no matter what, and that death was merely a game or toy for him to play with.

The first to move was surprisingly Goku, who broke his ready stance to lead with a heavy left-punch as something like lightning went off in his head. It made him realize that this was it; he had to attack now, or lose what few advantages he already had in hand.

Vegeta immediately caught his punch and threw it aside with a smirk, only to attempt to punch back with that fist in turn caught absent-mindedly as Goku tested Vegeta's defences with a series of rapid-fire punches directed to the chest, to the jugular, to the shoulders and even the face, he also tested something else. He deliberately aimed punches around Vegeta's head, with the Saiyan prince blocking them too, with that same smirk even as he did so.

This could be valuable, he didn't rely on Martial-Arts instincts, but on battle instincts from a hundred other fights and had to make a conscious gesture to defend, even as he did so rapidly, it also confirmed another frightful piece of information; Vegeta wasn't just a little stronger or faster, but on a whole other level from Goku himself. Just as he had batted Nappa's attack like they were nothing, so too did Vegeta to him.

Goku leant back to avoid two punches, and returned to the offensive as the prince raised both arms in front of his face, where he decided to concentrate his attack, this was a diversion though as he kicked out, with one leg at his foe's gut, an attack that was easily deflected then he tried another, this time towards the enemy's knees.

Vegeta leaped back, in control of this battle, as he bounded away off of one mountain, then another, then another two only to take off running away from his enemy.

He couldn't let him get away, so Goku did the only thing he could do as he gave chase after the shorter-man. But this was a trick, as Vegeta turned, volted backwards and bounced off the side of a nearby mountain and straight towards Goku, using the momentum for added speed.

The punch he landed on Goku's jaw sent him flying back a little, he caught himself, but it still hurt and made him see stars for a few seconds. In truth, he had just to say realized his enemy's intent right before he did that move, but it hadn't mattered, he just wasn't fast enough to do anything to avoid or block it.

Goku speedily turned his fall into a jump, as he bounded off where he was to crash and leapt up into the skies to remain there. His gut plummeted as he realized that his enemy in the meantime had not been idle, not being an idiot, he had decided to take his foe's momentary distraction to vanish.

_'Where is he? Just need to-there he is!'_ Goku thought as he closed his eyes in order to sense instead of see, he then sensed his enemy behind him, ducking away Goku swiftly spun around evading the cutting motion that the prince had made with his right-hand in order to kick out at him from below, in a move that missed Vegeta's by a hair's breath.

As usual it missed, but Goku wasn't finished, switching to the Crane School's heavy high-kicks, he kicked out three times, once in a sideways slashing motion then twice in an almost stabbing manner, all aimed for the same target; his enemy's head. He even tried to shake things up by jabbing with his knee at the enemy's gut but that worked about as well, as his previous blows.

The two of them, flew up, up and away higher into the skies as they exchanged blows, Vegeta making a very big show of blocking his attacks with that triumphant smirk on his lips, already considering this battle won while his foe concentrated on finding a weak-point.

Well it was time to get that victory, and maybe have a bit of fun before that, Vegeta thought as he replied by stepping things up; first he punched so rapidly even Goku couldn't keep up or see it coming, only to strike another fierce hit to the gut, then it was followed by another five punches to the face. Goku's face, previously uninjured filled with black and blue bruises, as he gave a strangled cry of pain, as the blows rained down upon him, to the incredible mirth of his foe. The punches were finished with the grand finale as Vegeta cried out with a small battle-cry, as he kicked out with all his strength into Goku's gut.

The gasp and strangled oomph/scream was music to his royal ears, as he smirked at his startled enemy who flew back, placing some distance between them even as he grunted in pain from between clenched teeth, eyes still wide with said pain.

He wasn't to get away though, as Vegeta trailed after him slowly, almost leisurely, hands coming up together only to slam down onto the back of Goku's head, he was sure this would be the end of the annoying third-class rebel before him, "Say goodbye!" he gloated.

Goku though wasn't finished, the last blow had not been as well-coordinated as the kick, and he had had enough time to steel himself though it still hurt enough to send liquid fire coursing from the back of his skull straight to his nearby brain. Flipping down, he opted for the ground. Evidently, he needed to regroup in order to try for a new tactic. Vegeta was clearly better in the air than he was, and they both knew it, and stronger than anticipated too.

He landed on a nearby mountain, not having time to select one for tactical or symbolic reasons, as he had before. Vegeta though, came in for a landing directly in front of him, selecting a higher mountain once more, though this one was more akin to a rocky obelisk, slender and tall.

"Man he's good, far better than I expected him to be," Goku conceded as the prince smirked and chortled, enjoying his advantage physically, but he was ignorant of two things; Kaioken and he had chosen the wrong place to land; he had chosen a place with no place to move on which meant poor footing. "I'll still beat him."

"Kakarot, I was hoping for a more interesting fight," Vegeta sneered triumphantly.

"You'll get one, I promise," Goku retorted with a small smirk, ready to unleash his secret weapon.

As Goku began to growl from the exertion of doubling his body's strength, speed and everything else, as well as the spiking body-heat and ki, his body emitting an initial white and yellow glow before it reddened, as Vegeta raised a startled eyebrow, able to tell that something was different though he didn't know what.

"Kaioken… ATTACK!" Goku bellowed as he decided to employ the Wolf School instead of using footing advantages, if Vegeta was going to keep heading for the air, why not clip his wings and his confidence by taking him there for one brief moment that might tip the scales permanently due to psychological advantages. He smirked back at the prince, trembling from the force of his powers, unused to so much ki as he threw his left palm forward, shattering the small obelisk with a mere wave forward of his palm.

Vegeta took to the air as he predicted he would, with Goku on him in a mili-second as he threw all of his enhanced strength into that single punch. It connected he cheered, as he felt skin meet skin, and heard a loud groan of agony as he Vegeta turned from the sheer force of the attack.

Eight more left punches were delivered to Vegeta's face, splitting his lip and bruising his face, even as he remained frozen, shocked as he felt pain for the very first time in his whole life. Vegeta had never had anyone so much as touch him before, even Frieza had never been interested in harming him, after all; what use is a subordinate and a royal one if they were broken or permanently injured. Not to mention as the strongest Saiyan in his squad, he had been able to dole out pain and torture for his own entertainment, yet none could fight him off. None could match him.

Not that Nappa had ever allowed anyone to hurt him, so along with an over-inflated sense of self-worth, Vegeta was unused to the painful side of combat. Used to killing and fighting much, much weaker enemies he had never met someone capable of almost matching him, so he was wholly unprepared for this extremely unpleasant sensation that he immediately took an aversion to.

Goku didn't give him a chance to react though, either so that didn't help as he delivered a solid right kick to the chin, which sent Vegeta flying back now, this time into the air. But he had over-extended himself, having sent the prince flying back too far away, as he soon discovered when the prince finally recovered, vanished from sight, and reappeared to deliver a superb blow to Goku's chin in turn with his own right-leg.

More accustomed to pain (from all but a lifetime of physically being beaten in one fight or another) Goku recovered immediately, as Vegeta trembled a bit more in pain, still not completely over his first meeting with it, as his previous reaction was instinct and instinctive rage on his part. "That Kaioken attack is a nice trick, but I've encountered something like it before! Because if it is, you better quit."

The lie slipped easily from his lips, in truth he had never met such an attack even though he believed he had, the closest he had come to it, was Frieza's second form which he had only seen once, Goku though looked up in shock.

_'I can't tell if he's lying or not, but it doesn't matter, man my body's ready to give out already from just two Kaiokens, darn if he isn't then I'm screwed, and if he is it doesn't really matter because either way he's at least twice as strong as me, or thereabouts.'_ Goku realized with a small start, but even this wasn't enough to dispel his certainty of victory, because with that small confession, and every single time he boasted or gloated rather than look for weaknesses, Vegeta was slowly giving ground to Goku.

And that amused and pleased him, almost as much as the adrenaline from being able to throw all that he had and still have to struggle, which was more pleasurable than almost anything else in the world, save for maybe Chi-Chi's company and cooking or spending time with Gohan.

"Funny, as grim as things look right now, I kinda like the challenge," Goku replied smirking back, as he pulled his arms back, Turtle styled to the last even as his heart beat with excitement and fear of the uncertain._ 'You won't be smirking soon, when I go triple, what I dealt to you earlier will seem like a love-tap in comparison.'_

* * *

"Look into my crystal ball, with your own eyes you'll see it all," Baba chanted as she waved her hands over her head at the bright blue crystal ball before her, while everyone crowded around it behind her. "Crystal ball bring to sight, news of this important fight!"

"Hurry it up already, we're burnin' daylight!" Launch snapped at her impatiently, after nothing seemed to have happened in spite of Baba's rhyming and chanting.

"Uhhh we're all waiting," Oolong agreed.

"What's wrong with it?" Bulma asked cluelessly, forgetting momentarily the pounding she had given the crystal ball.

"You banging it around, that's what!" Baba retorted having not forgotten or forgiven anything.

"Oh, alright! I've had it with you!"

"Bring it on bow-head!" Baba cried back, in truth Roshi realized, they may have been too much alike for this to have properly gone down well, not that it mattered now he supposed, now that it was too late to reason with either of them.

"I got sixty reasons one after the other that says, we win prune-face!" Launch joined in, taking Bulma's side as she clicked the safety off of her full-automatic.

"Wait girls it's not broken, stop it," He told them just as frustrated and weary as everyone else was by the constantly fighting between the two, there was also Launch eager to fight someone and vent her grief and feelings out on someone. "Just look, I think the crystal ball is overwhelmed. Goku and that Saiyan are emitting an inconceivable amount of energy. This isn't exactly an ordinary fight."

"So it started, Goku and that guy are fighting?" Oolong asked unsure.

"Yes, I believe so," Roshi croaked back.

"I know, we can check it out on the Scouter!" Bulma said suddenly, remembering Radditz's device which she had swiped from his corpse before they dropped it off at her parents to do some autopsies and studies on it, his armour and his ship. She had brought it with her, earlier that day when she first arrived by air-ship.

"Good thinking Bulma," The Turtle-Hermit praised before he asked hurriedly, curious beyond measure, "What does it say?"

Bulma clicked away at it for a few seconds, before she oriented herself along with it, expanded the search range even as she answered his question, "Let's see, two huge power-levels due west."

Chi-Chi looked down, disappointed as she had been hoping for news regarding Gohan, sure she was worried about Goku, but her baby was still out there as far as she knew. Her father laid a consoling hand onto her shoulder, gentle as always.

"Only two?" She asked in a small voice, even as she gripped her father's hand on her shoulder with her left hand.

"Uh, hm-hmm," Bulma nodded with an apologetic look at the younger woman.

"Oh, daddy!" Chi-Chi uttered as she broke down into a series of fearful sobs which drew sympathetic and weary looks from everyone, no one could blame her, even Launch looked unsure of what to say or do, and seemed to feel sorry for her.

"There, there," The equally heartbroken Ox-King murmured, head bowed.

* * *

_'Look at him smiling ready for more, who does he think he is? What power could he possibly be hiding? Guess I'll just have to find out.'_ Vegeta was busy thinking to himself, as he considered his present situation not noticing his lip was still bleeding, a firm testament to strategy as Goku believed could win out over brawns.

"That's it? That was your best? I've got some bad news for you, you may be stronger than anyone else on this planet, but even at your peak you're still no match for me," Vegeta declared proudly, power was what won battles and with that in mind this meant that the battle was already his, and always would be.

"Wanna bet?" Goku asked, buying time as he caught his breath in order to also start gathering energy once more.

"Ha, no need to wager; behold the true power of a Saiyan prince!" Vegeta sneered, as he bent forward to begin charging up to his full power, drawing it from deep within where it had been hidden up until now.

This power-up was unlike any that any of the Saiyans' had shown thus far, with Goku gaping at the amount of power that crackled off of Vegeta. The heavens up above them darkened even as thunder boomed all throughout the planet, the mountains nearest to the Saiyan prince crumbled to nothing even as they began to defy the laws of gravity and be torn to shreds all around him.

Goku gritted his teeth, this was a lot worse than King Kai or anyone could have probably told him, and a lot worse than he expected as this guy was easily twice his power or thereabouts. "Oh man, what power! I think the planet is actually shaking!"

_'But I won't back away, I may be afraid but I've come too far to back out now, besides it's about time someone put this guy in his place,'_ Goku thought as he stood his ground, eyes narrowed and back straight as he floated there, ready or as ready as he supposed he'd ever be.

The explosion that rocked the whole of the island, the mountains that dotted that part of her was preceded by a fierce whiplash of wind that blew Goku despite his efforts away, inadvertently saving him from Vegeta's first Big Bang Attack of the day, it was a stroke of luck Goku supposed but one he was not ungrateful for as he stabilized his position gaping. What power!

The skies cleared and yet the air remained thick with the scent of power, the aftermath of that terrible explosion and the expectation of imminent death.

"Farewell you're finished," Vegeta declared with finality, sure that his next attack would at last put his hated foe into the ground.

Before Goku had so much as let out another breath out, or could even throw a punch or think for that matter, he was struck once in the chest, then again in the gut first with a right hook then with a quick kick. This was followed by one of the most ferocious downwards balled set of fists he had ever felt in all his life, as he was thrown downwards towards the ground.

"What's the matter? Can't find me?" Vegeta taunted him nowhere to be found when he rolled through the air, and flipped down to a steady landing on a nearby mountain, his chest and back still aching from the pounding they just received, he was in for more he discovered when he began to look about for the prince, only to receive a kick for all his good efforts, a fierce one to the back that sent him sprawling forward.

Having expected an attack despite himself, though not one quite so ferocious, Goku still managed to turn his crash into a proper landing, when he darted up from some fairly pointed boulders down below and straight up a single huge mountain where he regained his footing, his right arm massaging his bruised and protesting back.

In a repeat of earlier Goku looked around him for his elusive foe, unable to find him and for good measure he even glanced behind him finding nothing. But instead, it was only when he sensed some distance to his left and up above some gathered ki that he realized where Vegeta was.

With a cackle, the mad royal sent the fiery ball of ki flying straight down at the other man far below him. With a quick burst of Kaioken times two, Goku flew out of the way eyes instinctively on the explosion he had just narrowly avoided being barbequed by only to glance up just in the nick of time as a second blast was tossed his way.

This one came closer than the first, as half of Goku's gi and the darker blue shirt underneath his orange outfit were burnt to ashes in the front and side even as he barely managed to rush out of the way.

_'What an incredible level of power, I better think of something fast, because I don't know how much longer I can keep this up,'_ Goku realized as he placed one hand on the torn section above where his heart was, of his ruined gi, a momento from his heartfelt time with his newest mentor and friend King Kai.

It just took one look at the gleeful, self-confident face of the Saiyan above him to make up his mind, he had been holding back until now, in the hopes of avoiding the possibility of being destroyed by his very own attack.

"I got no choice, if the double Kaioken attack doesn't work, I guess I'll try a triple," he announced to himself as he tore off and threw away the ruined armour/cloth, "Sorry King Kai, but I don't see any other way."

Certain that his enemy must be too terrified to move, Vegeta crossed his arms landed on an opposing mountain and sniffed his nose at his pathetic enemy, so weak and beneath him, "What's the matter Kakarot? You don't seem too eager to continue, don't tell me you already need to catch your breath? We were just getting started."

Some ways away, behind Vegeta though neither he nor the equally distracted Vegeta noticed that the someone Goku had detected earlier sneaking stealthily up on their current positions, stood the daunted figure of Yajirobe, who had left the tv station only to flee into the wilderness to a place he had chosen for himself. Far away from people, and far enough away from the battlefield or so he thought where nobody would find him, and he could be left in peace to wait for the aftermath of the battle.

"Don't wait on me, feel free to continue on whenever you want," Goku retorted with equal moquery to his cruel enemy.

_'Goku's insane, this guy's beating him senseless but he just keeps coming back for more, now I know Goku's tough but it seems this time he's finally met his match,'_ Yajirobe thought swallowing fearfully having noticed and been watching the battle for quite some time, though neither fighter was fully aware of it at the moment.

"This staring contest is starting to irritate me, are you planning on continuing on with our fight anytime today?" Vegeta asked impatiently, he couldn't know it as he couldn't sense energy but during this 'staring contest' Goku had yet again been busy gathering precious energy for an even greater attack than ever before. "What's it going to be? I'm tired of waiting."

_'Alright, I'll try the triple Kaioken attack, I just hope my body can take it.' _Goku thought as he tore off what remained of his shirt, almost ready to fully utilize it and give Vegeta a fight even he couldn't handle.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! That's right, I keep forgetting! You're an Earthling now," Vegeta cackled as he smirked down, spitting out the word 'Earthling' as though it were bile or at least some sort of curse, but he was only getting started as he sneered at his hated enemy, who had allowed himself to be maimed, in a manner that was utterly disgraceful to all Saiyans. "You don't even have a tail, now do you? You let them operate on you? What did they do? Sneak up on you while you were sleeping? Now I see why you have no desire to join me on the hunt, you know if we still had a home-planet you'd be a laughing-stock there!"

_'It looks like Goku's in big trouble, I've gotta help him somehow,'_ Yajirobe noted to himself with more courage than ever imagined before, as he looked around, "And I guess the best way for me to do that, would be to uh hide. Somewhere over this way.' As he inched away to a new hiding spot further away.

_'Alright, time to see what I'm made of,'_ Goku thought as his muscles began to bulge out, his organs accelerated and his ki began to flare more than ever before, if one had touched it with their bare hands they'd have quickly been engulfed by those flames so fiery were they.

Once his ki, his muscles and his body were finished expanding all screaming in agony and protest as he raised his bowed head, and opened eyes that had been closed from the exertion and concentration required for his tremendously difficult feat. "Alright, here goes nothing! Kaioken times thrrreeeeee!"

Goku's body trembled, quivered and shook to its very core as it drew upon power it was up until now never meant to wield and never had before, the winds around them shook also and whipped around with enough force to even almost send even the startled Vegeta flying back.

"What? No way!" Vegeta whimpered in alarm as he suddenly felt an attack of nausea and almost realized that pissing off this particularly Saiyan may not have been the best idea he ever had while several other mountains all around him, buckled to the pressure now too.

_'What's all this about?'_ Vegeta wondered in confusion, as his opponent began screaming out with all his lungs as though in sudden pain and with sudden exertion, was Kakarot really that injured and frightened of him? Or was it something else?

As the Saiyan prince stared in shock, with it now his turn to be stunned by the power of his enemy as the winds and heat whipped up by his mere aura threatened to throw the prince back, he gaped stunned and frightened where he stood as he could almost see the power wafting off of his suddenly sweating and red-skinned enemy.

Vegeta's looks wouldn't stop shaking then as a glare from Goku pierced through his malevolent soul, he shook a plea almost on his lips as the rocks beneath his front leg, his right one crumbled down from beneath him, then the rest of the entire mountain crumbled to nothing as he gasped in terror and initially forgot that he could fly, so stunned and frozen was he by fear.

Vegeta had begun to scream then, in terror wishing to be somewhere else, anywhere else as he lost his footing and began to tumble downwards. It was then, to his alarm and horror that Goku's screaming came to an end, and he charged just as the mountain beneath his own foot crumbled and melted away to nothing.

* * *

Over at Kame House Bulma gaped as did everyone else as the numbers darted up on Goku's power-level having located which one it was via it's library of power-levels and dna files.

"Wow look at it go," Roshi commented.

"Hey let me try," Oolong said longing to play with it and see what was what for himself.

"Can it Oolong, this isn't a game, Goku's level is rising rapidly at this rate he'll likely explode," Bulma exaggerated startled by the spike in power on Goku's part.

"No!" Chi-Chi screeched filled with terror for her Goku. "Goku!"

But Bulma paid her no mind, as the numbers kept going up, "17,000! No 18,000 wait it's over 21,000! Woah!" She screamed as the tiny device exploded, built for scouts it was never intended for heavy combat and therefore any number above 18,000 was pushing it and anything over 20,000 was certainly far beyond it's capabilities.

"Bulma are you okay?!" Chi-Chi yelped all but leaping forward to check her friend's ear which was thankfully undamaged from the explosion, worried for her.

"Yeah," Bulma gasped taken aback by what had happened, those things had limits? "I think so."

"Better question is, is it alright?" Launch asked unhappy with losing their only means of knowing what was going on over with Goku and his mighty enemy.

"Wooaah, talk about overload," Oolong added.

"Goku must be putting up one heck of a fight, Chi-Chi, if he did this to the Scouter," Ox-King remarked hoping to comfort his daughter even as he picked up the eye-piece with one meaty finger and thumb. "There's no telling how powerful he is."

"But what about Gohan? I wanna know what's happened to him," Chi-Chi whimpered from across the table, as her father cleaned up the floor of the broken remnants of the Scouter that had fallen on the carpet and floor. Her concern for her husband was all-consuming but she well knew that this was a battle he had been raised for, trained a year for and that she couldn't stop him from fighting if she tried. Her son though, she knew didn't belong anywhere near there, and was obviously too young to be out fighting. When she next spoke up, it was to the old lady in the corner. "Baba, can't you get it to work?"

"Hmm, I'm trying dear," Baba replied in a strained voice, as she waved her hands over her crystal ball, she spoke more gently to this woman aware that she had more on the line than anyone, and besides she liked the gentler and far more respectful Chi-Chi. The girl at least in her eyes, knew how to treat and speak to one's elders unlike Bulma, she thought with a mental snort. "But there's too much interference from their power-levels."

"Well I hope you get it working soon, I'm tired of not knowing what's going on out there," Oolong complained as he glanced over his shoulder, from his own seat in front of the table, his back to Baba and Turtle who remained seated directly behind the pig.

"His power did knock out the Scouter sooo uh," Bulma mumbled uncertainly.

"Maybe he's already won," Ox-King proposed hopefully.

"Hey, yeah that's true!" Launch stated, as she then added, "And maybe he's doing to that monster's spleen what I said he should!"

"Please, no more talk of violating someone's spleen," Bulma whimpered not sure if she could handle another trip to the bathroom from just imaging what her friend was referencing. "But yeah it's gotta be the case!"

"I don't know guys, but I seriously doubt it," Roshi replied grimly, cutting through the suddenly optimistic note that had overtaken the room, as Oolong had just been in the midst of nodding and throwing his arms up in victory.

Everyone gasped but none did so, with more worry or panic than Chi-Chi or Ox-King, both suddenly even more sick to death with worry for her husband. Roshi continued on with his own theory, "The power measured from Goku was unstable. Think about it; a candle flickers most violently just before it burns out."

"You're saying Goku's in trouble!" Chi-Chi screamed her heart in her throat and eyes, as she sat up higher, ready to lunge out the door, this time not to race to her son's rescue as she momentarily forgot about him in her blind panic at the thought of her husband being in even more peril than anyone and maybe even dying alone, at the hands of a monster. _'Goku! We promised to grow old together, to die together, he can't be dying now! Not again, not when I just got him back!'_

"No, I'm talking about candles," Roshi snapped sarcastically as he suddenly grew as upset as everyone else and took some of his anger out on the poor lady, "Of course, he's in danger!"

"C-c'mon crystal ball," Baba chanted desperately.

* * *

Before Vegeta could even blink (or so he thought, he had had enough time to blink twice but hadn't) Goku was bearing down upon him with a growl and a grunt, even as his left arm rose, in preparation to strike at the royal who remained where he was, falling, fixed in place mentally with his head rear up and open-mouthed as he stared in fascination and mortal terror as he could almost feel the threat, the sheer power his foe exuded wafting off him like a smell.

If before the punches that had been delivered to his face hurt, in a manner akin to being enflamed alive, this one felt like an inferno or an entire tempest had been set off as Vegeta's nose cracked, broke and as his right cheek bore the sudden mark after a few seconds of a fist, even as his head whipped to the side.

He was thrown back, but Goku wasn't finished as he bounded off below his stunned foe, only to kick out with both legs from below at the other man's back drawing a long scream of pure agony.

"Wow," Yajirobe gasped having not had time to move, he had just barely seen him punch the other man, and had guessed what he did next, "Goku's something else."

Vegeta on the otherhand had been kicked far into the heavens, only to spin himself about flipping upside down, and downside up he caught himself teeth gritted as he glared in pure hatred at where his enemy was. Charging up his right hand, he prepared a quick blast, only to try punching out with it as Nappa would have done, but Goku disappeared from in front of him.

Catching movement from the corner of his eye far off in the heavens in the distance, he finally chucked the ball of energy to the distant red-glowing figure over there, but the blast missed wildly due to bad-aim as Vegeta's vision was still blurry from the blow to his face. However, Goku appeared from out of nowhere in front of him, with one of his feet smashing straight into Vegeta's right-cheek bone as his fist had earlier.

Smashing through the top of a mountain, and straight into a huger one far below and behind him, a good three miles away, Vegeta hit the ground hard, his back, his tail, his entire body for that matter ached as tears of pain streamed down his face even as he coughed up some saliva, remaining there for a heart-beat, then for another, then several more, stunned by the pain he had just felt.

Furious, insulted especially at the insult, the ridicule of being humiliated by being injured at all by a mere third-class piece of a trash! A man who by Saiyan customs was barely above an animal, if he was even above animals at all, this man, this THING had just injured him the PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS!

"HUERNNNGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Vegeta roared with pure RAGE as he spread his arms out, unable and unwilling to accept this abject humiliation, this-this insult to his pride! Another Big Bang Attack was unveiled as he blew the mountain he was in to bits, fury coursing through him far more deeply than even his blood. He kept screaming for another minute, until he began panting, unable to accept this smear on his name.

Gritting his teeth as he was no longer having fun, no longer enjoying this game where he got to torture and play with a new third-class he could torment, without reprisal as he had done so many times in the past. Then he saw it, a red growling blur head straight for him, he punched out with his right fist, only for it leap over him.

Another kick to the back, in the exact same spot that he had been struck before, which drew a short cry of pain from his cut and bruised lips, this time though he reacted with more rage as he leapt forward, charged up his right arm with enough power to tear the head off of any Nappa or Callion, or even Kakarot at normal power, as he bounced back towards the man, he charged up this fist even more and made to punch at his face.

Goku though was even more prepared than he, as he merely leant back, ducked a bit and struck with all his not inconsiderable might at the gut of his foe, his fist burying itself deeply into that small gut with a vengeance and an anger that was powered with the righteous strength of a grieving brother and friend, seeking to avenge all his losses and punish a wrongdoer.

Vegeta and Goku stared at each other for a long minute, even as they both growled, one out of exertion and anger, the other from shock and pain. Vegeta backed away, drooling having lost control of his own body as he backed up, clutching at his gut, tears sprinkling down from his face even as he coughed and drooled, with pure agony. It was the worst sensation in his life, and the worst moment in it.

Goku panted, his Kaioken no longer working as he endured far worse pain than his foe, his entire body ached and groaned wishing to shut down, yet he refused to allow it any reprieve. Not until Vegeta lay defeated and the Earth safe, would he rest.

Vegeta glared hatefully, blood dripping down from his lips as he clutched at his gut after five minutes, he hated this third-class nothing, hated him with a fervour he had never felt before (which was quite something), it was a hatred he'd never overcome for the rest of his life, he'd always long to break or kill or inflict a million times what he felt then, upon the other man. It would haunt him, though he didn't realize it then.

Leaping back, instinctively to put distance between them, as fear nestled into his dark little heart, and as he needed more distance to recover, still groaning and coughing in agony.

Goku shuddered and groaned in pain, when he felt one of the muscles that had been shredded in his back and shoulder twitch, he had apparently, he suddenly realized with horror and with a slight whimper, torn every square inch of his right side, in his back in terms of muscle, torn it to shreds so that it'd take months to heal, if it'd ever heal at all (thankfully Senzu beans were grown for just such a purpose).

"Alright, he's winning, Goku might just win after all!" Yajirobe silently cheered to himself, as he stared as he moved in closer for a better view whilst still hiding behind some rocks and boulders fallen from the ongoing heated battle between the two unimaginably powerful fighters.

Vegeta then charged, unwilling to wait to give his enemy anymore time to gather his strength, or resolve but as he did so, he did it impulsively without having gathered ki into his fists and with his body and soul held back by how they were still focused on the pain he had just endured.

Goku caught his sluggishly moving fists in his own, and though his own back and arms screamed in protest, he bit down on his split, bruised and broken lip as he crushed his enemy's fists with all his might. He was sure this wouldn't work as he wasn't in the midst of his Kaioken driven fury, but to his satisfied surprise Vegeta screamed as he felt his fists being clamped down upon in two vice-like grips.

Yet so focused and in so much pain was Goku, that as the other man leant back screaming in pain only to tear his fists away then weave first one leg then the other around the taller man's arms, cracking the bones and crushing them from between his legs, drawing a groan of pain from Goku, Vegeta slowly put his hands together ready to smash the other man's skull open.

But he moved too slow to dole out this planned attack, as he was head-butted straight in his broken nose, drawing a short cry from his lips. Before he could react, he was picked up with one aching arm, then had an elbow smash into his face straight into the same spot, only for Goku to let him go, in order to deliver a solid left hook to the jaw.

He was then punched again, then kicked in the back so that he'd be sent off the ground a little, all so that Goku could then tackle him with his slightly more intact left shoulder, teeth bared as he rammed himself straight into his enemy and into a nearby mountain, gut first hitting the same spot that had been struck earlier in a Kaioken-driven blow.

Goku fell away, smashing down the mountain he had just rammed and lodged Vegeta into, as he growled though more in pain than in anger or from sheer gathered will before delivering a hit. He backed up a few more steps nearly collapsing then and there, but then he thought of the corpses of his friends, the threat to his son and somehow against even his own expectations he remained standing there. He tried to push on forward again, to continue fighting but he couldn't so much as twitch a muscle forward without gritting his teeth to keep from screaming in agony.

_'His power, how can it be so strong? He's blocking my attacks like they were nothing,'_ Vegeta thought gasping in pain as he clutched at his belly, suddenly realizing what Callion had earlier; that blocking for Earth-based warriors was nothing, something they did instinctively without thought, though Vegeta was more focused on the speed of the blocks than on the instinctive aspect. As he was supposed to be a lot stronger and faster than his low-born enemy.

"Ughuff, huff," Goku panted groaning and twitching with pure hellish pain, "What a guy, he won't quit! But that's alright I won't either!"

This was the wrong thing to do, talking meant moving, and his shoulder suddenly screamed causing him to, as he gripped his right one, the shredded one but leaning at all forward made his left side suddenly tear like glass thrown against a wall. "But my body might!"

"This shouldn't be happening! I am a super-elite! Now he's sealed his fate, this planet is history!" Vegeta growled furiously, having made his way back to his feet, having overcome some of the pain of his bruised body, only to raise his voice at the shuddering Goku. "Hear that? I'll destroy everything! EVERYTHING! DO YOU HEAR ME KAKAROT?! YOU'RE FINIHSED! FINISHED YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Even a deaf man could hear you," Callion suddenly declared appearing from nowhere to kick Vegeta in the back with both of her legs, just as Goku shuddered and trembled because of uncertainty as much as pain.

Vegeta who had not seen her coming felt his eyes widen, just as his back exploded with yet more pain, while Callion flipped back onto her feet gracefully, landing if briefly on one of the small hills, only to charge forward after the falling prince, and past the stunned yet pleased Goku. With the prince whipping himself up into an upright floating position, though he didn't have enough time to react, as he was still stunned by her arrival.

"WHAT?!" Vegeta screamed through broken lips a second later, just as he felt another punch to the gut, this one which was nowhere near as fierce as Goku's still had the desired result of making him gasp in pain and see stars.

"That was for Nappa, and this… is for EVERYTHING YOU DID TO ME!" Callion screamed as she blasted with a bright green burst with the very hand currently buried into gut was charged with ki and blasted up at him, sending him flying back.

"Grrrr, why you little whore, you… you WOMAN!" Vegeta roared furiously after crashing through a nearby pillar of stone, only to pull himself upright.

"And I'm so damn tired, of you saying my gender like it's a slur," Callion growled back as she charged in after him, two large blue blasts torn from her hands as Vegeta fazed forward, appearing directly in front of her as he struck at her hard, with his right-hand, sending her flying back a short distance but not far enough to escape him.

The next blow split her lip, smashed into her jaw and sent her now through a pillar, coughing from the pain she spat a bit of blood from her cut inner cheek, as she stood upright, glowering back as Vegeta floated up onto a nearby pillar.

"Alright, you go!" Goku cheered pleased to finally get some breathing space, as he grinned at her, "I was beginning to think you'd never show!"

"Yeah, well I'm just full of surprises," Callion grunted back as she kept her eyes on Vegeta's.

"You dare to defy me, Callion? What is this the insurrection of the third-classes? You think I'll overlo-" Vegeta was caught mid-speech as Callion burst towards him, sweeping down low towards his legs, only for him to easily avoid her pathetic attempt to trip him by hopping up a little, only to be caught by surprise by her next move, "Ha, you think you can hit me when I'm talking to you?!"

She didn't answer, at least not verbally so as she charged up a full-powered blast which he gasped at only to kick away with ease. _'Damn, he can flick my blasts away like they are nothing! I really am outclassed!'_

But she wouldn't give up, not with so much to lose and so much to gain, relief from her lifetime of hatred and torment, it was enough to deafen her, enough to have her almost drool with mere adrenaline.

"Ha! You always were a third-class woman-URRGRGHH!" Vegeta suddenly stopped as she bounced up at him, with a charged other hand to strike him not at the chest, but between the legs, with all her might, all that she had in her.

Vegeta remained there, tears of pain at his damaged crotch, his hands instinctively going there, even as Callion smirked down at him, before she balled up her hands together in order to smash them into the back of his skull, knocking him straight into the ground far below them.

Those blows were all that she had, but Callion was a tested and battle-hardened warrior, one who had learned from experience that even someone inexperienced with pain could quickly rise back up, and though she hated to use his tactic, she had to make sure he didn't get back up.

So she began to blast down into the hole she'd put him in, first with one blast from her right hand, then another from her left, then another, then another, then a dozen, which left her panting even as she kept an eye on her Scouter only for it beep and boop and pointed directly above her.

"Woah," Goku had murmured started by how much she had thrown in, at how much energy she had and how angry he could feel her to be, only for him to notice something before her Scouter did; the sudden presence of someone behind her. "Behind you!"

"What?"

Now at first, for the first few moments Vegeta had been stunned really. The pain shooting up from his lower body was enough to make Yajirobe and Goku wince with sympathy, and it wasn't something he was particularly accustomed to, to begin with. But the worst part was to his pride that was where it hurt the most.

For him, a majestic prince, with more power than what any prince has had in a thousand years, a man of the bluest of blood, to be injured by a lowly third-class and a woman on top of that in the crotch was unforgiveable, it was beyond his ability to accept. She had been chosen to be his sex-slave, his property.

You see, being property for a third-class was really a step up, a big one actually. And women in Saiyan society were lower than men, what with how patriarchical it was and how Saiyans by nature didn't much care for the fairer sex, except for when one activity was considered.

Yet for the lowest ranking Saiyan on the planet, heck the universe (not counting Gohan of course) to injure him in such a place, was beyond his ability to tolerate. While she was busy burying him in the ground with her blasts, he had suddenly blasted out of there, sped behind her without anyone noticing save Goku and prepared his own retaliation.

She had caught him by surprise before, that was all and even Callion knew it. She also realized by the lack of burn marks that a constant stream of blasts obviously hadn't worked, _'So much for his tactic, mental note never do that again,'_ she mused right after whipping around to face him just in time for his fists to strike down upon her skull.

"You DARE to strike me!? ME! Your prince!? You're dead you hear me? DEAD!" Vegeta hollered at the top of his rather impressive lungs, even as she was sent crying out into the mountain that was once below them.

Callion burst forth from it an instant later, her left eye squeezed shut in pain as she stared into her Scouter with her right one, aware that it was her only chance to be able to keep up with her vastly stronger enemy, once again it beeped up above and behind her.

This time she didn't have time to react, as a solid fist to her back, then kick in the back of the skull sent her flying downwards, with Vegeta charging up his right hand, "From me! To you, this should take care of your measly 6,00 powered life! How a bug like you managed to injure me is beyond any comprehension!"

And he fired the 3,000 point blast though he hadn't mentally calculated it, the blast almost hit with Callion once again catching herself, just enough to power up and kick the blast away as he had done before her.

"What!?"

"Oh yeah, guess I should have mentioned, I've improved since I was twelve," Callion snapped as she then charged forward, back into the fray with her own energy blast in hand.

She did toss it, but even with all of her power Vegeta parried it to her horror then came bearing down upon her, raining blow after blow, after blow, in a flurry of punches and kicks to her main body, even as she tried to kick out at him in a side-ways blow, which was dodged. As he ducked below her strike which crumbled a mountain behind him, only to strike with all his might into her gut as Kakarot had done to him before, this time he had the satisfaction of hearing her ribs give out with a thunderous crack that made him smirk even as he saw the shock and pain on her face, he then appeared directly behind her in order to punch her down towards the ground where she landed some distance from Goku with a groan.

Callion tried to get up, she really did as she coughed up a bit of blood, she gritted her teeth as her hands and legs trembled from the sheer pain that radiated from them and from her main body. _'Only a few broken ribs, and maybe a cracked spleen, nothing that shouldn't keep me from doling out more of my issues on Vegeta's hideous face.'_

"Hey, get up!" Goku cried out to her, then glared up at Vegeta ready to help just as a blast was thrown her way, sending her flying forward and through two more mountains where she finally remained down.

"Now that she's out of the way, where was I? Ah yes, this planet is dead! Dead you hear me!" Vegeta shouted finally finished with the weakest of the three of them, having wasted more power on her than he'd previously expected, he could in fact still see her out of the corner of his eyes, lying there, still and most likely dead.

What was more for Vegeta he felt his rage reach new heights, when he noticed something on the back of his gloves, _'Who do these fools, Kakarot especially think they're dealing with?' _

He continued his train of thoughts aloud, speaking now of Goku and Callion, and all who had dared to mock him real or imagined, "He's beneath me! I'll show him, I'll show them all! I'll reduce this place to ashes! GrrrrUUWWWNNNGGRAWWWHHH! KAKAROT!"

_'She's… still alive, she survived that attack, thank heavens I might need her help later, but she's really taken a beating,'_ Goku mused in relief as his eyes moved from where she'd fallen, half-buried in rocks and unconscious. _'What a monster, hasn't anyone ever taught him to treat women with respect?'_

A mountain boy, Goku had been raised by his grandpa to respect the female gender, to honour them and never fight them even though he had had to do so over his life, he always consciously held back and tried not to inflict any serious injuries even as he held his tongue from any stinging insults.

_"You must honour and respect them, my son. Now Goku, girls' can be sensitive, but they are also very, very special and as a boy you have certain advantages that they don't, just as they have some you don't,"_ Grandpa Gohan had instructed the then, five-years old boy with a generous look in his eye and twinkle there that had made him curious.

Now Goku had never quite managed to find her, but he knew that his grandpa had had a sister who had married and started a family of her own, a biological one he had left in Ox-King's kingdom, and one grandpa had used as an example of how to treat a lady, this lady though had chosen to wed a simple country-side farmer rather than stick around to witness her equally orphaned brother's martial arts training (though they did remain close afterwards, they hardly saw each other despite their warm memories of one another and his adoption by Roshi whom she had detested for obvious reasons such as lechery).

_"But why grandpa?"_ Goku had asked confused at the time, with his grandpa just smiling in reply whenever he'd ask such an innocent question.

_'This guy, he has no respect for other warriors, or anyone even if they're on his side, heck he seems to hate women, but why?'_ Goku thought stunned at the notion, a kindly man he had as a boy been irritated by girls and naturally gone through a 'cooties' phase but upon growing up, he'd come to respect them. They could be every bit as resourceful, strong and wise as men were, if Chi-Chi, Bulma and Launch were anything to go by.

But there was a much bigger concern than the female Saiyan by the name of Callion, as he gritted his teeth still in pain, and still shaking where he stood because of his excessive injuries, _'Uh-oh, this isn't good! I still haven't recovered from the last attack! C'mon body, don't give out on me now! I just need you to hold together, if only for a bit longer.'_

"Dodge this next attack if you can!" The red-faced Vegeta screamed at the top of his lungs, catching his startled and slightly bewildered and all but defeated foe, as Vegeta succumbed at long last to madness and foolishness, as he forgot a very important detail for his next 'great' scheme to defeat his enemy, "But know that if you do, your precious little planet will be GOOONNNEEEEE!"

"No, you can't!" Goku shouted back as much to warn Vegeta away from this really, really, really stupid idea he just realized that the insane prince had cooked up. _'Doesn't he realize that if the planet goes, so will he in the resulting explosion and because of the vacuum? This is essentially suicide you idiot!'_

But Vegeta was beyond reason, beyond thought and certainly beyond remembering petty biological and other such scientific details about himself and the way things would play out. This was his best plan he thought, so far to deal with the situation, and in some ways it truly was given how his regular array of plans normally worked out.

Charged up with a powerful and large purple/pinkish aura that was at least twelve times larger than his own body, he was filled with more power than ever before, ready to throw more energy into this fight, except this wouldn't be a Big Bang Attack he was wasting, but a Galick Gun put to effective use for exactly what it was designed for; planet-busting. Only problem was, he was technically within said atmosphere with no small atmosphere projectors supplied by his small yet advanced Saiyan pod.

Vegeta flew high up into the lower atmosphere, throwing all of his energy, all of his hate into his hands even as he shouted, imagining only the ashes left by his attack and the glory that would be his when this planet and Kakarot, and Callion and all the rest of them (whoever them is) going up in smoke, "The choice is yours, Kakarot! But either way you are going to perish! Huwhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"No, not yet! I'm still worn out," Goku complained barely able to feel his fingers let alone channel anymore energy into a blast, to fight this man who was easily twice as strong as him now, maybe a blast at the 5,000 level could be all he'd be able to gather, but with enough force to fight Vegeta's greatest attack? Never and he knew it.

A second later as Vegeta cried out as he gathered injuries, his pain and injuries fading away as he on at least an unconscious level realized that those injuries had been superficial, the worst either Goku or Callion had done throughout everything was maybe bruise a rib or break a nose or so, even Goku realized with a plummeting (and highly ruptured) gut that Vegeta was already ready to fire down upon him. That for all his valiant efforts, the Saiyan prince was far from defeated and far from likely to fall anytime soon.

"I-I don't have any time," Goku panted almost bowing his head in defeat, as he squeezed his eyes shut only to open them, his body aching, he had supposed that tactics could win or maybe Callion could buy more time but she was far weaker than him, and a LOT weaker than Vegeta was, despite being stronger than Nappa had been. Strategy had failed, and only muscle would win here, because if not then they'd all be dead. _'Piccolo my nemesis, Yamcha and Tien, my older brothers, Chaotzu little bro, please lend me strength, Chi-Chi I'll even need your strength to assist, to support me as you all always have… I'll try to honour your sacrifices and honour your love for me, and for each other! Here goes nothing!'_

"It's now or never!" Goku stated to them, to himself even as he felt some of their spirits with him, encouraging him as he stated in a gritting voice almost spilling tears as his body protested and offered up what he needed despite the fact that he was pushing it too far; "Kaioken times three!"

The glow around him was fiery red, yet Goku could taste the iron of his own blood, as he felt his body's muscles expand once more though without fixing themselves even as his ki now began to protest, began to crack and splinter a little. _'Not a good sign, it means I'm close to shattering my spirit, but I need to hold on! I need to keep it together, with as much strength as my family kept themselves together to fight this monster and the other two.'_

"Let's see how he likes a Kamehameha," He declared as he placed his hands together beneath him, bending one of his knees unconsciously even as he hissed a little in pain as his left knee gave out and its muscles screeched even as the bone beneath said tissue began to strain and crack a little. Still though, he preservered, "KA-ME-HA-MEEEEE-"

"NOW KAKAROT! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR OBLIVION! GALICK GUUUUUUUUN!" Vegeta roared as he finally let loose his greatest weapon, the most powerful ki attack he knew, prepared to destroy all even himself though he didn't realize this little tid-bit.

Gravity was reversed, as all the pebbles, boulders and remains of the mountains were kicked up if only to break apart once more and be shattered not just from the inside out because of Goku's powers but because of the flash of light and electricity bursting forth from Vegeta's awesome power. "HAAAAA!"

Kamehameha and Galick Gun clashed, meeting in the middle of the air in a climatic struggle that shook all, and terrified the nearby Yajirobe even as Callion began to rouse and shake herself awake with a groan as her broken and fractured ribs and hip bone protested.

The beam battle was the stuff of legends, however it looked firmly as though it were time for the end of the Earth and all of her inhabitants. It was undeniable that times three amounted only to a simple 18,000 in comparison to the awesome power of Vegeta's 19,500 powered attack which had grown in power over the course of this battle. While close it was still as some would say it, not enough to challenge and win the day for life itself on Earth.

As Blue and Purple clashed, Yajirobe was thrown back as was Callion who had placed without thinking a hand on her side only to glance up, blink, shudder in pain and then gasp in awe and horror at the amazing sight before her, "No way! Is he matching Vege-wait he's losing, dammit! I can he-woooaaaahhhhh!" She considered helping but was easily blown away by the winds whipped up by the clash, rendering her as dependent on Goku and as helpless as everyone else not that she could have been of any real help here.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Goku continued to roar and bellow straining every reserve of energy he had, every bit of training, every bit of power, yet he could see it wasn't enough, that it couldn't even scratch the surface of Vegeta's power.

The only one who remained unsure though was Vegeta, who had never been involved in such a heated fight and had never seen anyone capable of holding their own against him, especially against his Galick Gun. He could hardly be blamed for focusing more on how his blast had been slowed than on how it was slowly thrusting downwards, past the opposing blue beam, after all every artist is his own worst critic, and Vegeta was an amazing artist of destruction and death after-all, who was the finest one to ever serve Frieza. "It can't be! His beam is as strong as my Galick Gun!"

_'I-I-I can't hold it!'_ Goku thought as he squeezed his eyes shut, almost ready to give up, when he suddenly heard someone sneering in his ears.

_"Is that all you've got Goku? I would have thought, my nemesis could hold through to the end, how pathetic,"_ Piccolo seemed to say shaking his turboned head in disgust, _"You could at least die trying, with honour Goku."_

_"C'mon Goku, I believe in you!"_ Chaotzu added eagerly offering up encouragements as he always did whenever someone tried their hardest.

_"C'mon Goku, you can win this, I'll help too for everyone's sakes!"_ Tien stated with a hand on his shoulder and that charismatic, awe-inspiring grin of his.

_"Hahaha, well if they can't quit and stop believing in you, then I can't! C'mon, let's show this guy what the Martial Artists of Earth can do!"_ Yamcha cheered him on too, with a grin.

_'G-guys, you're right, I can't give up yet, I won't give up no matter what!' _Goku thought baring his teeth and opening his eyes to meet Vegeta's through the thick of the blasts. _'I've got to take it further, than ever before!'_

Little did he realize it but, with his next act he'd utterly destroy Baba's crystal ball, wreck his second Martial Arts mentor's living room and utterly change the tide of this beam-battle. As he charged up the energy and felt it tearing him apart, he thought he could distantly hear King Kai crying out to him, not to do this. But he didn't care, he had to.

"KAIOKEN TIMES FOOOUUUURRRRR!"

Suddenly the beam battle, the clash altered in tide and terms of where the two beams were headed as the purple was crushed and obliterated by the blue. Goku felt all of the energy he had gathered leave his open palms, as he finally gave in to his exhaustion and shook there praying that it was enough.

"AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!" It was. As Vegeta found out a second later, the blue was stronger than the purple as he was engulfed in its light as the Kaioken Kamehameha attempted to turn him into a space-cadet blasting him up towards the upper atmosphere.

_'Did he just beat Vegeta in a ki battle? Amazing! He's far more powerful than I ever imagined!'_ Callion thought even as her own Scouter blew on her, to her astonishment and utter surprise though she really should have seen it coming given how powerful both male Saiyans were.

A rock fell and hit her on the head as she groaned and whined in protest,_ 'Where the hell did that come from, YEOWWW!'_

It was because of Yajirobe, who had suddenly hopped up onto the top of the mountain she was lying at the base of, some of the rocks tumbling down from the unsteady earth built monument and onto the back of her throbbing head, as she scowled at the tubby man's back. _'Now where did he come from?'_

Goku meanwhile cracked under the pressure, huffing and panting and sobbing from the exertion, as he sobbed a bit more and gasped even louder than that as his tears and snot fell away, when his right knee hit the earth, for he had stood straighter than ever when blasting that last blast and now his right knee torn by the Kaioken merely grazed the rock which enough to wrack his whole being with pain.

He leant forward unable to gather enough air into his burning lungs as his body throbbed and began to cool down, he nearly heaved up his lunch too, due to the heat of his body and how wounded up and stretched out his guts were in that moment.

"Goku you did it! Hyahehahahaha!" Yajirobe cheered as he ran towards Goku, hand on his unbreakable and prized sword Masamune, not noticing how he had sent rocks tumbling onto one weary Saiyan in his rush towards the more battered one, as far as he was concerned she was dead and gone forever. Good riddance.

"Huh?" Goku gasped having forgotten all about him, he hadn't quite figured out until now that that lone power-level slightly higher than the average person was Yajirobe, but it was comforting to know it was his old friend. Despite the man's overwhelming cowardice that is. "Oh, hey Yajirobe, where did you come from?"

"Who me? I've been here the whole time. You didn't see me cheering you on, from the rocks back there?"

_'You were probably doing it silently,'_ Goku guessed with a small amount of amusement and irritation though he thought it uncharitable to poor Yajirobe who had suffered enough as it was, he lived with Master Korin after all and that was a special kind of hell, as everyone knew despite the love everyone bore the felonious Martial Arts master. Chortling a little more in relief at the sight of a friendly face than for any other reason, "Hehehe, huhmm no."

"Yeah I didn't cheer out loud," Yajirobe said confirming his suspicions, "I thought it would distract you, but man I saw the whole thing! You're awesome!"

_'Thanks that's oddly considerate in its own wa-'_ Goku had been thinking pleased at some of the thoughtfulness of his friend who though cowardly, always found a way he had seen to pull through for all of them, with the younger man's thought interrupted and his words of gratitude shredded by Yajirobe's heavy handed yet affectionate slap to the back, "HYAAAAAAAAYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Kakarot you okay?" Callion asked suddenly appearing from behind them, panicking as she thought for sure that it had to be Vegeta who'd inflicted some new injury, after coming out of nowhere only for her to stand dumbly there in silence as Goku screamed in agony from a simple yet friendly smack to the back.

"Eh?" Yajirobe gasped not hearing her as she was some distance behind him and his ears were kinda've clogged up with the sound of his friend's screams and his own intense feelings of remorse for causing the boy any sort of pain whatsoever after their shared history from a decade ago,_ 'Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!'_

"Wow Goku, you're all worn out," Yajirobe muttered his tone deeply sympathetic as Goku gasped and shuddered in pain.

"Y-y-yeah I think I over did it a little bit."

"Well that doesn't surprise me," Yajirobe retorted pompously forgetting momentarily about his worry for the other man, harrumphing and nodding to himself seriously at what he considered the other warrior's own foolish tendency for overdoing it all the time, life should be spent enjoying food not spending it all helping others to the point where you damn near kill yourself. "You should pace yourself."

"I feel so drained, my body's trashed," Goku uttered brokenly, one eye closed as it watered only for the mere coolness of tears to feel like one of Vegeta's vicious punches to the face. "I could hardly move!" The last bit was whimpered out as he looked to his friend with puppy eyes for support and kindliness.

_'What a man, what a warrior,'_ Callion thought as she floated a little closer before opting to save her energy by limping closer, gasping and limping though she realized that she was in no dire straits yet as Kakarot was. Instead, she was deeply impressed, bowing her head in respect to the greatness of this fellow Saiyan, _'I wonder if he's willing to take another mate or something, heck I wouldn't mind a spar or even training with someone this great. He may have just done what I couldn't; avenge poor Nappa.'_

"Yeah, good thing it's over," Yajirobe replied crossing his arms to keep from patting him on the back again, as he looked at him with all the affection and sympathy he could summon, smiling a little as he did so. Though not a handsome man, Yajirobe's smile was still a nice one as he crinkled his brow and his eyes gleamed with approval. "Yeh, isn't it?"

Someone that he cared about, even if they had their differences and arguments back in the day, Goku still felt flattered and pleased by his obvious approval, still felt happy to have pleased at least one friend in a day full of disappointing the others.

Goku looked down, "At this particular moment, things are looking pretty good. I don't think he's enjoying himself."

Suddenly Goku felt something, something off and worrisome; the continued ki and life-energy of the most vicious Saiyan to have ever set food thus far on the Earth. Yajirobe in the meantime paid his upwards glance, and terrified eyes no attention, "Wow, how cool standing together, the Earth's greatest defenders!"

"Who's the Earth's greatest defenders tubby?" Callion suddenly bit out as she arrived behind Yajirobe who jumped and squealed in fright.

"Waaahhh, there's another one, get her Goku!" Yajirobe screeched pointing at her, as he momentarily forgot that she had switched sides and helped Goku out earlier.

"Hahaha, nah that's just Callion, she's switched sides," Goku explained as he studied her injuries, good nowhere near his own, maybe she could continue the fight where he couldn't anymore, "How are you feeling?"

"Oh," Yajirobe muttered scratching at his scalp as he regarded the dark haired Saiyan, hmm not a bad rear he thought as she ignored him and walked on over to stand by Goku's side, studying him in what appeared to be awe. This caused him to narrow his eyes in jealousy and irritation, _'Why does Goku always attract the babes? Wait, what am I thinking? Only an idiot would want a Saiyan monster like her!'_

"Better than you, I can keep fighting unlike you Kakarot," Callion stated as she looked up, "Not that I think it'll be necessary, he's sure to have died to that last attack you threw at him. It was over 21,000 maybe even at 24,000 or 25,000 in terms of ki-power."

"Not quite," Goku retorted to her, as he considered her words on the numbers, he didn't like them, but they were fact as he then went on to dash both her and Yajirobe's hopes, feeling guilty for doing so. "That didn't stop him, just slowed him down a little, I think he'll be coming back soon."

"Eh, you sure?" the fatter warrior stared in horror.

"Hm-hmm," Goku confirmed, while the only woman present spoke with even more horror than the swordsman.

Callion gasped at him, "Impossible! How could he have survived such an attack?"

Both Saiyans though remained silent for a second, then jumped as they heard in the distance someone shouting to both of them, "See ya Goku! See ya Colliflower or whatever your name is! Nice meeting you! And Goku, looks like you got it all under control!"

Yajirobe bolted as the other two stared at his back dumbfounded, with Callion vocalizing both of their thoughts then, "He sure can move for someone so fat, amazing I didn't even notice him move there for a second."

"I know, right?" Goku uttered breathlessly, as surprised by Yajirobe's speed as she was more maybe given he could normally sense ki and hadn't even sensed his old friend moving.

"You can feel him up there?" Callion asked getting serious again, a short nod was her answer as she followed his stare, she didn't fully know whether she wanted to trust this 'power-sensor' that all Earthlings seemed to have, but she didn't think she had much choice in the matter. "You sure he's alive?"

Her question was answered a second later as Vegeta fell off the side of the ki-blast in the heavens far above only to scream and roar, Goku smiled weakly, "Does that answer your question?"

"Damn, I'm going up after him."

"What? You sure?"

"He should be tapped out, I can take him I've barely used any of my energies after all," Callion assured him though privately she wasn't so sure, she was probably operating a little over half in terms of energy but it would have to suffice, besides Vegeta given his wrathful roar had to be in some pain and distraction. "Maybe I'll take a cue from you."

"Huh," Goku breathed as she began to float up, then flew at top speed up towards the heavens.

"WHY!? WHY IS HIS POWER SUPERIOR TO MINE?! I AM THE MOST POWERFUL SAIYAN IN THE UNIVERSE! HE SHOULD BE KNEELING BEFORE ME! BEGGING FOR MERCY!" Vegeta shrieked at the heavens throwing his arms up and his legs down in a gesture of pure frustration at the pain he had received, at the injuries he had suffered and at the sheer amount of annoyance Goku had inflicted upon him, all but single-handedly.

As he panted, catching his breath from having screamed like a maniac, he gathered up his patience cooled his temper, and thought deeply, in this moment strategy and cunning won their way between him and his temper, as he then remembered one key important detail; "Wait a minute! Kakarot doesn't have a tail! Which means that there's no way he can transform. I've got him!"

_'Sure you do,'_ Callion thought to herself as she charged up towards him, powering herself up as she went to her full power as stealthily as she could at first only to place her hands together, clasping her left one over and behind the back of her right one before her.

Her blast would be powered with everything she had, and sure it wouldn't be anywhere near the power Vegeta or Goku could possibly summon, but it would still be quite something, as she yelled out its name in a chant as the other two had, "Zodiac Wave!"

The green blast cut through the air, swathing and gaining power and momentum as the distracted Vegeta searched for the moon, unable to find it as it had been destroyed by Piccolo, then repaired and brought back by Kami only for him to have temporarily removed it for a day. His plan had been to put it back, after the Saiyans had been defeated but while the magic still held, the plan was destined to fall apart as Vegeta had an ace taught to him by the formidable Nappa. A secret weapon Callion was the only one aware of, and would not allow him to pull off if she had any say in it.

"What?" Vegeta gasped only just noticing the powerful blast headed his way out of the corner of his eyes (as usual by now), only for it to hit full force into him from below.

"AUUUGGHRRRAAAAGGH!" This time though he crushed the blast with his arms pressed together, needing a minute to do so as he strained some of the last of his energy to do so, much to his pain-filled irritation. "What was that-"

He was interrupted by a swift kick to the gut, followed by the smack of an open palm into his broken nose, as Callion then leaped back and blasted up to behind him, ready to dole out some more hits.

Growling the surprised prince dodged her palmed together fists, only to smack back with his own punch for her face, she dodged it to his annoyance only to power up her knee and sink it deeply into his gut.

"Goodbye," She growled as she struck him in the face only to power up one of her fists, and blast out at him. "Damn!"

Callion cursed when Vegeta smacked aside the the point-blank blast, only to strike her in the face, grab the scruff of her shirt from below her armour with his left hand and deliver a back-handed slap to her face, "Stop attacking me! I am your superior, you piece of filth!"

Callion pulled back with all she had after crying out to the slap that split her lip and made her taste blood again, powering up as she did so, with Vegeta grinning as he told her, "You can't win, what are you going to do shoot me? Your blasts mean nothing and amount to just that!"

"Fine, then block this!" Callion shouted as she fired yet another Zodiac Wave, only to leap up, gathering her energy even as Vegeta backhanded her first blast away, only for her to fire off two more blasts. _'One of my few secret techniques, though let's hope I've got the hang of that Krillin guy's disk by now, might need it later once I've weakened him a bit more.'_

"What?!" Vegeta growled as she fired a second blast which was in truth a tad ridiculous, though no less effective in comparison to the first, as she suddenly disappeared though he didn't see it. "I'll block this one as I did the first!"

"I wouldn't bet on it, princess!" Callion shouted suddenly appearing behind him, as she reared back her right fist which he caught, crushing it with his own only to catch a second punch.

"That all you've-aaugh!" Vegeta began to taunt her only for her to rear back, despite a scream of pain and sink her two booted feet into his gut getting him to release her due to his earlier injury even as she pressed her injured and cracked hands and wrists together in a gesture he recognized just as the earlier blast struck him from behind causing him to let go of her, even as she fired her next blast point-blank at him.

_'Now to crush you between two blasts!' She_ told herself, certain this would do him in as she powered up to her max, causing rapid winds to billow forth and for the clouds surrounding them to be blown away as she crackled with green electricity and energy, "Zodiac Waaaaavvvveeeeeeee!"

"NOooooooooooo!" Vegeta screamed as the second blast fired not unlike a cannon, it crashed into him just as he had been about to get away from the previous blast, suddenly crushed between them he started to doubt for only the second time during that day, his own abilities. His own ability to survive, his own power as Callion demonstrated more power imaginable than he had ever believed her capable of. _'There's no way she's below even 7,000! Never mind that, she must be nearer to 8 or 9,000!'_

"Aaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Callion continued to roar, only to be blown back by her second blast, a second after she spoke once more, "Accept it Vegeta, you've lost!"

"NEEEEEVVEEERRRRRRRRRRR!" Vegeta roared as he wiped out both of her blasts with yet another Big Bang Attack, this one greater than all of the previous ones as she stared in shock, fear and horror.

"WHAT?! How in the-oh crap," Callion swore as she shook a little, only to clench her fists even as she panted a little, _'That last attack drained me, I can only do so many Zodiac Waves at that level per day, and I went and wasted all four shots, dammit!'_

"You're dead! DEAD YOU HEAR ME?! NOW DIE!"

Callion tried. She truly did. Punching out at him, as she took the offense she blinked just as Vegeta disappeared from sight only to appear behind her to kick her in the back, then re-appeared in front of her to strike her in her face right smack where her mole was, then appeared once again behind her with a punch to the back of the skull. From there he appeared in front of her just as she caught herself, stopped midair only to swing her elbow back behind her, towards him just as he flew under her and appeared in front.

"What?! No way!" She didn't have time to think before she suddenly saw stars, with darkness beginning to brush the edges of her periphery, as she veered up a little rear and back first as her hands went to her gut for the second time that day. "Guuuuughghhh!"

Callion vomited the contents of her suddenly near destroyed guts, saliva and bile pouring forth from her mouth as she remained there, frozen in pain unlike any other, as her vision exploded.

"Hahaha, goodbye!" Vegeta growled at her in triumph, slamming down upon her unprotected back once more with both fists, but this time he raised his knee at the same time in a devastating combo as he bruised her spine then slammed her into his knee, followed by an uppercut to the chin, which drew a scream of pain from her as she was sent flying back.

"Goodbye to you!" She growled as she just to say caught herself in midair and threw a punch to him, catching him square in the face to his irritation.

The battle was on, with both of them throwing, parrying and otherwise thinking only of punching and blocking said punches from the other. The battle was a heated one, with Callion gaining more injuries the more she fought, with her gloves slowly shredded and her hands grew bluer and darker, whereas the injured yet stronger Vegeta glowered at her in increasing frustration.

_'How can she stand a chance?! Why is she still fighting? I should be killing her right now, not struggling to do just that!'_ Vegeta thought as he parried a savage left hook punch with his right-arm, only to proceed to evade two kicks to his chin, he then began punching her square in the face six times, but she only replied with a head-butt/tackle as she wrapped her arms around his chest, only for one to rear back and with said right hand just as Vegeta prepared to strike at her from above, she buried her fist into his gut with all she had.

"Grrrr, you are starting to annoy me," He gritted out as his chest protested against the continued abuse to them.

"Get used to it, now shut up and fight," Callion snapped as she tried for a flurry of kicks that the other Saiyan dodged, weaved around and parried, _'None of my attacks are making it through, and I don't have enough ki to fire anymore blasts except for one or two more. Dammit, I thought I could handle this, but I need back-up now, just as Kakarot did before me!'_

The realization that she needed help, was a tart one as she parried a flurry of attacks from him which made her arms and legs become darker too, evidence of Vegeta's superior strength, even as she winced, shuddered and resisted the pain that coursed up through her body.

_'One last punch, if I could just knock out one eye-ball, I could turn the tide!' _Callion thought as she powered up one fist in Nappa's trademark Arm Crasher, and struck out in a feint to his right with one fist only to strike out with her other to his left, aiming for the left eye.

However, what happened is that she had miscalculated, as Vegeta ducked down below her second blow, and with his own 'Arm Crasher' struck with all his own might straight up at her left arm, the one used for the feint bending it a little upwards, and shattering, crushing and otherwise breaking every bone in her left arm.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Callion shrieked in agony, as one of the most painful moments of her life took place even as she clutched at her ruined left arm, a swiftly powered kick then proceeded to extend the collection of broken limbs to that arm's shoulder making her scream louder, even as another kick cracked her skull a little and balancing himself forward and flipping a little, Vegeta smashed one foot then threw a swift blast down both on the same spot in the middle of her back.

"Now die, you disgraceful piece of trash!" Vegeta shouted down at her, as the blast bore her downwards, crushing her beneath its weight even as she screamed as most of it inadvertently struck her injured left arm, worsening the injury, cutting her throughout her body and smashing her into the ground thirty meter behind where Goku stood, the blast still crushing into finally it ran out of steam, a small crater the only reminder of it, as smoke pearled off the steaming Callion.

Tears streamed down her broken and unconscious face, as she collapsed due to the pain, with even Goku unsure if she still lived. Vegeta couldn't have known it though, but his blasts had been weaker than he expected, as they merely knocked her out, with the young woman resting almost as much to regain her energy as she did because of her injuries. He had also had to hold back, as he still wanted to keep enough energy just in case for one last super-draining move, one last technique that could clinch things for him, thus the ki blast that had knocked her out, merely cut and aggravated a pre-existing yet not life-threatening injury.

_'He was able to summon up enough energy to fight her off, and all but finish her? Not good,'_ Goku thought concerned for his newfound comrade, he had seen bits of the fight and was impressed as much by her resolve as he was by her cunning with those blasts of hers, but Vegeta was determined to finish her off for good.

_'There, she stood her ground far better than I thought she would, now quickly before Kakarot can continue this blasted contest, I must find that damn moon,' _Vegeta mused as he began to search for it once more, a smirk on his lips. "I'll turn into the giant ape and crush him where he stands!" And as he searched he added, "I hate him for forcing me to do this, that form is for leveling civilizations and destroy planets. And now I'm using it to wipe out just one stubborn little insect. How repugnant."

_'What is he looking for up there? Why not come back down, surely, he knows he's got the advantage, doesn't he?'_ Goku wondered as he stared up at the prince who flew here, there and everywhere except downwards.

"All I need is the light from this planet's moon for this transformation to take place," Vegeta explained to himself even as he searched and found nothing, thanks to the efforts of Piccolo and Kami. "But where is it? The moon should be out by now!"

_'I know he's up there somewhere,'_ Goku thougth to himself after a half-hour, eyes straining to find the other man, _'But what's he doing? Surely, he's regained enough strength by now. Why hasn't he come back to attack me? He's up to something, gotta be careful.'_

"Oh, c'mon what have they done with it!?" Vegeta bellowed in frustration after another twenty minutes after Goku had begun thinking what was just mentioned, the way the prince spoke it was as though the Earthlings simply got tired of the moon and threw it away down a well or something. "It's a moon! It's not like you can hide it anywhere! It can only mean one thing; someone on this stinking planet had enough foresight to know that I would need it. And they destroyed it to prevent my transformation! No matter, we Saiyans have encountered this problem before, and have devised a way to deal with it. They haven't stopped me, they've only delayed the inevitable! Hahahahahaha!"

"C'mon, I know I'm ready," Goku muttered to himself, having taken the time to gather up some more of his energy, and certain that Vegeta was at the end of his rope, after his battles with himself, and Callion and those Kamehameha and Zodiac Waves he had to have been injured and worn out enough, for even Goku in his present state to be able to take him on. _'I've only got one shot, the Spirit Bomb, I just hope I still have the strength to do it.'_

The winded Saiyan royal came down for a landing, a cocky grin once again upon his lips, as he stared down upon his still pain-wracked foe.

"So Kakarot, you think you can outsmart me?!" The universe's answer would have been one Goku and anyone else could have answered with a resounding and loud 'YES', what with how Vegeta had fared thus far, against foes who quite frankly were vastly inferior in terms of power by such a margin that no tactics should have been able to bridge the gap between them, something Goku was well aware of but chose to save his breath over given how he needed to save his breath and energy on actual moves, rather than cheap taunts as Vegeta had done all battle long. "Destroying the moon won't stop anything!"

_'Has he finally lost it? What is he babbling about, in the middle of a battle?'_ Goku wondered to himself confused, sure Vegeta had trailed on and on inanely throughout the battle wasting all he had more on boasts than actual fighting, but this took it to a new and absurd level as far as he was concerned. What did he mean? What did the moon have to do with this? He had a sinking feeling that this time, Vegeta wasn't simply ranting madly, or boasting foolishly but actually had something fiendish in mind.

"Moon? What about the moon?" Couldn't hurt to ask, what with how Vegeta had thust far shown himself more than happy to spill his own plans, in order to simply listen to his own voice.

"Don't play innocent with me Kakarot, because your efforts were in vain because I don't need the moon to complete my transformation," As predicted Vegeta revealed what he had in mind.

_'Thanks Vegeta, couldn't have beaten you without your own help,'_ would have been what Yamcha would have said with a distinct note of sarcasm, so thick that Goku could almost hear his voice then even though he barely paid it any mind what with how he had to contend with figuring out what it was the prince had in mind exactly. Did this mean he had another form? Could he grow his size as Piccolo once did when they fought six years ago?

"Transformation?"

"The moon merely reflects the rays of the sun, but as they are being reflected, a new energy called 'blutzwaves' is created and added to their composition these waves cause the transformation. Not the moonlight by itself, as you may have believed." Vegeta explained not entirely familiar with the science involved but aware of the basics given how often Turles talked about it, or how thoroughly his father ingrained it into his head years ago wanting to ensure that he was aware of the particulars of this technique. The actual science involved was quite more complex than what he was explaining it to be, but even Goku or Bulma would have struggled with some of the finer points of it, so he could be excused for that much of his ignorance.

"What is he talking about?" Goku asked himself, he knew a great deal about physics from some long-distance courses with Kami and then later for Chi-Chi, as he had devoured and read every school book put in front of Gohan, and while considered a heavily educated man by now, he still struggled to follow.

He had never heard of blutzwaves, before and wondered if maybe he'd neglected to read about them somewhere, if only he had re-read some of his old physics books about his favourite scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton or Einstein, maybe there was something in some of the succeeding era after the latter's research about this somewhere.

The blutzwaves was researched in particular by the brilliant Chillian scientists though Vegeta didn't believe that, as he preferred to think of Saiyans as the best at everything. Trouble was. they were too brutish and stupid to discover such incredible details and study it thoroughly, in turn it was the more brilliant and highly advanced members of Frieza's race which had discovered this and informed King Vegeta of it. The only impressive scientists or administrative thinkers of note in the previous generation were oddly enough in some ways lower ranking Saiyans, such as Paragus though.

"Although, the moonlight is one source of blutzwaves' power it is not the only way to form this energy, there is another way," Vegeta explained ominously as he neglected to mention that although it raised his testosterone immensely, he was brilliant in one regard; he could actually control himself in his other form.

Where other Saiyans such as Goku, Radditz and Callion, even the late Bardock were completely unable to control themselves let alone remember anything (though Bardock could remember some things, while Callion only recalled one or two flashes even less than the more steely willed Bardock), Vegeta could actually control this state. "We Saiyans, realized we were at the mercy of the moonlight on whatever planet we were on, unable to control the length of day or night, it was completely unpredictable, it held our power at a disadvantage. Until we Saiyans discovered a way on how to artificially create our own moonlight."

This was one of the reasons his father kept him as heir, in spite of other though slightly less legitimate and some more legitimate children. None could control this form quite as capably as his son, whom was even better at it than he himself, it had filled him with pride and convinced him later thanks to Nappa that his son was capable in spite of prior concerns. All Vegeta knew though was that his father had approved of his abilities with that form, which was why he treasured his self-control in it even if he had no self-restraint over himself whatsoever.

As Vegeta finished his lengthy speech, on Saiyan history and the Chillians' brilliant discoveries into the science and biology of Saiyans (all of which Goku found somewhat surprisingly interesting, even if he had a bad feeling about it), a soft bright white glowing ball came out of the Saiyan prince's hand. What he neglected to mention was how straining, how much energy it took just to create such a 'tool', and how it required all the remainder of his energy or almost all of it.

The fact that Vegeta could create something so powerful, was also proof of how little he had actually been drained by the severely beaten and broken other two Saiyans. As he was unused to fighting strenuously, he turned to desperate tactics sooner than others would have, such as the more experienced Nappa, or the cleverer Callion, or the more resourceful Goku. Yet none of these three could have denied the over-all effectiveness of what Vegeta had in mind.

His tactic whilst weakening and lasting only an hour, would still be almost far more effective than all three of them would have otherwise liked or wished to admit to.

Goku narrowed his eyes defiantly, as Vegeta cackled hysterically, driven almost mad by this stressful battle, "By channeling the energy from within ourselves, and combining it with the planet's atmosphere, we can make a synthetic moon, complete with blutzwaves anywhere and anytime we want to. As soon as I release this into the sky and the transformation will begin and there's nothing that you can do about it. Hywhuhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

This was actually strictly speaking unture, it was actually not the planet's atmosphere which did this, though it did play its own role. As Goku would later discover, the artificial moon did require resources from a planet's atmosphere yes, so therefore it couldn't be created just anywhere, it required a very particular, healthy atmosphere from a heatlhy planet. The healthier, the longer it lasted, and the stronger the blutzwaves were, yet still there was an inherent truth to Vegeta's words.

"Oh no!" Goku cried out just as Vegeta threw it, and though he wished he could say he was able to stop it, he could barely stand let alone jump after such a faster and tiny target that was thrown behind and up above physically broken young man, he could do nothing save watch with morbid fascination and dread as his psychotic enemy's plan unfolded.

"Bear witness to the ultimate power of the Saiyans, Kakarot; the giant ape! Destroyer of planets, soon this world will feel my wrath now let it begin!" Vegeta cried out still fixated on destroying the planet whilst he was still on it, even in giant ape form he'd not be able to survive the vacuum of space but this was no concern of his, it was petty compared to his pride and need to win.

"What? No way!" Goku gasped after covering his eyes from the brightness, he wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next, but he knew he was about to find out. "I've got a bad feeling about this, if I don't think of something soon, I'll have a much bigger problem on my hands." He had no idea of the kind of pun he'd just made, but soon did when he turned around to stare at the horrible and expanding brute who stood before him.

Soon enough, the impulsive and foolish prince began to change. His body began to bulge out and strain itself as he began to realize Commander Red's greatest dream of growing entire feet, as he grew and grew, and as his eyes took in the blutzwaves and sent the signal to the tail where the organ sent it back to the brain conveying the message to begin the growth, into the Saiyan race's most infamous and horrid transformation.

"Yes, yes! I can feel it! The power coursing through my veins, burning inside me! Hwuhahahahahahahahahahaha!" Vegeta boasted yet again, as he fulfilled Red and to some extent even his dream, growing from a measly 5'3 feet of height (which was particularly disgraceful for a prince to his mind, as even Frieza was taller than that in most of his forms) into the several stories high ape.

Goku stared in horror, and mounting confusion then even more horror as the pieces of his life, of his shattered and broken early childhood fell into place even as the fight of his life was falling into place against him. Even as Vegeta grew in size, his mouth lengthening into an animalistic snout, his bones growing thicker and larger, just as his teeth did even as he roared now instead of cackled, his eyes grew redder even as the testosterone in his body thickened and grew in number. And on his near-hairless skin grew fur, dark brown fur that thickened slowly at first then more rapidly.

The giant ape dominated the landscape of the island then, roaring in triumph and glowering down at the much smaller fighter who trembled in fright and revulsion.

"What-what's happening?" Goku asked no one in particular dumbly, unable to understand what it was that his eyes were telling him, how was it possible that anyone could turn into a giant ape. So the stories grandpa told him about them were all true?

But if so, what did this mean for his early childhood, with the tragedy that tore his grandfather away from him, it froze him then not just because of some primordial instinct that screamed at him about this ape. and not just because of its insane power-level or that Vegeta's sanity had never been all that reputable, but because of the stories he was once told as an infant. The ones about giant monsters, which would eat or squash him as though he were nothing. "He's changed completely, how am I supposed to fight a giant ape?" Then he narrowed his eyes, as he stared at it, "But this form, it seems familiar to me, somehow…"

"If you had known what you were capable of, you'd never have let them take your tail!" Vegeta taunted him gloatingly. "Now it is I who will teach you the meaning of true Saiyan might!"

_'Wait, if Saiyans turn into apes then that means that I…'_ Goku was beginning to remember, he had passed out one night at five years of age, it had been a day filled with excitement and he was supposed to be back from playing outside alone by the river after also gathering some flowers and rocks for his grandpa's garden. It was late, with Goku supposed to be in bed and already predicting how his grandpa would scold him gently, but he knew he could smile widely enough to mollify the old man, when he glanced up at the moon at first in fascination as he had never seen it before.

_'I think I'm finally beginning to understand, the giant monster that my grandpa warned me about, it was-it was me!'_ Goku thought sobbing to himself silently, his enemy not seeing it as he bowed his head deeply, in the grasp of his grief and sorrow.

He assumed he had passed out a short distance from his childhood home, but suddenly Goku realized that that was not so. He must have transformed, and the horrible beasts his grandpa always told him about as a kind of boogey-man story was really him. He had wept and sobbed brokenly when he found the ruined corpse of his beloved father figure, had vowed to find this giant ape and stop it from ever hurting anyone else. He had eventually figured it must have died or something, for he was never able to quite find it again.

_"Goku, on a night of a full-moon,"_ Grandpa Gohan used to say, often when Goku pleaded to look up at the moon, fascinated by it and wishing to see eclipses, the stars and the full-moon even especially as the moon loomed overhead, nearly at its peak,_ "A giant ape comes out and does truly terrible things, you must beware, my son."_

But if it had been him, if he had murdered his own father that night, _'The burial and eulogy I gave him and constant visits to his tomb every year, especially with Chi-Chi and Gohan and Ox-King, all meant nothing! I was the murderer! No way it can't be! But it has to! My grandpa, I-I-I killed him! Granpda I'm so sorry! If I die, I swear it to you, I'll make it up to you!'_

Then he remembered how Kami had always looked at his tail strangely, for several days only to finally tell himself, with a fatherly look in his eyes, when he thought Goku asleep (really he had been feigning, it trying to stay up later to prove he could to Kami, at twelve), _"We could take this awful power from him now, but someday he will know the truth. It will always be part of who he is."_

"Yes, I get it now, I'm the one who destroyed the stadium at the world tournament, and I'm the one who-" He paused, grief closing his vocal cords as he remembered the sqashed, ruined body of his beloved grandpa, the man he had loved as his first father, and whom he had butchered so cruelly and selfishly, then, in true Saiyan manner forgotten about said sin as though it didn't matter. "-Who-who crushed my grandpa!" He croaked miserably, heartbroken then.

His friends had hidden it from him, though who could blame them, but why? Why hide it and remain friends with him after he had committed so many boundless atrocities in that form? Sure, he couldn't remember it, but it was still him who did it._ 'I'm sorry everyone! So very sorry, I'll try to make it all up to you all.'_

_'Why didn't anyone tell me?'_ He asked himself furiously, sure it would have been traumatizing but it would have been better than finding out the truth this way, they could have told him and he would have removed his own tail much sooner, would have attempted to spend his life repenting or retired to a monastery to properly atone for his sins in a life of prayer, or become a farmer sooner so as to feed the hungry to atone as he was supposed to. _'All these years, Master Roshi and the others, they must have known the truth, must have seen me transform into this-this-this thing! I'm sorry grandpa, I don't know if there's any way I can make this up to you but I'm gonna try, I swear it once more, starting today I'll change my life, if I live, I'll live the remainder of my life in atonement for my sins!'_

He wept then, he knew he shouldn't have but the emotions that wracked him, the guilt and horror and revulsion he felt for himself were too much. All the strings of tragedy in his life, all connected because of his own genetics, because of what he had been born as. Another thought suddenly occurred to him, when he remembered how concerned Krillin was about Gohan seeing the full moon, or how Chi-Chi had insisted on early nights for Gohan, especially on full-mooned nights and how his son had had his tail torn off more than likely by Piccolo. _'How could she or any of them, love a monster who committed patricide? The ocean of sins I've been drowning in, is too much! Too much! I can never hope to repent for all of them, but I-I-I have to try! Never again, will I transform or let such a monstrous legacy define or destroy people, I won't let this thing in front of me ruin anymore lives! Never again!'_

"GOODBYE, KAKAROT," Ape Vegeta bellowed loudly, in a booming voice down upon Goku who continued to gape, in horror and morbid fascination.

Only to dodge a giant fist at the last possible second, he then flipped back through the air as the giant lumbering monster swiped at him with the same fist he had just used to sink a mountain to the ground. From there Goku dashed off, from mountain to mountain, hoping to put some distance between him and the monster, in his hurry and anxious emotional state, wherein he was so focused on his past traumas he temporarily forgot about two people; Yajirobe (well-hidden) and Callion.

"HWYUHAHAHAHA! Go ahead and run," Vegeta taunted him, following at a leisurely pace, unafraid as always of this foe who could now barely even hurt him let alone try to mount a legitimate fight against him. He came to a stop, and with a large sniff, detected the smell of his enemy but a short distance away, couldn't quite place him so destruction of the next three mountains it was. "Because you can't hide!"

The mountain Goku was hidden behind was smashed to pieces, as he cursed himself for having forgotten about the possibility of the ape's olfactory sense, which had shot way up after the transformation.

As Goku fled, he glanced behind him as he did so, with one startling realization in particular on his mind, "This guy is really fast! WOAH!" the last cry came more from Vegeta smashing a mountain to pieces, as he came almost from out of nowhere.

He dashed to and fro, as Vegeta smashed everything in his path to get to him, advancing as he did so, only to pause as he felt something give way beneath him, and heard a soft crunch and a loud cry of pain.

"What?" Vegeta then cried out in pain as a blast was fired from below him and straight through his boot and into the sole of his heel, "Callion, I see still alive."

"Hngrr, ahhhngghh," She gasped then, she had woken up just in time to notice the blueness of her wounded arm, and to be stepped on with all the weight of the now giant Vegeta._ 'He's transformed? Damn, we're boned now! That's for sure!'_

She didn't have much time for thought, as she felt her bones start cracking, only to blast up at him instinctively, anything to get him off of her, which had resulted in the cry. She barely had time to register any relief, before the looming ape was back sweeping her up off the ground as he did so.

_'Uh-oh,'_ Callion thought in mounting horror and terror, as she struggled as best she could, most of her bones broken, especially her left arm, only for a quick crunching sound to be heard as Vegeta squeezed strongly, with both of his hands crushing her, "HEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream of pure agony was torn from her lungs, all the bones in her body below her collar-bone were crushed into all but paste, with Goku freezing as he zoomed away, those screams chilling him, as he then glanced over his shoulder, _'Callion, I completely forgot about her! NO!'_

"Oh no!" Goku gasped in horror, as she passed out, only for Vegeta to toss her over his shoulder, no longer interested in her.

"Her fate awaits you Kakarot!" He warned with a loud booming laugh, as the woman punched through four mountains, "Oh, and as a parting gift…"

He then turned his head a little, and fired a gigantic mouth blast that swept after her, cutting through the landscape to Goku's increasing disgust and horror.

The blast though was fired at too high an angle though, being fired over the shoulder, just as she crashed down, and though it did graze her it fired off into the distance, with Krillin and Gohan narrowly dodging it with a series of yelps, as it kept going then fizzled out near the ocean.

In the meantime, Goku moved over one mountain, down it and landed, speaking to himself quietly he realized he'd have to start gathering energy soon, else he'd be nothing more than a sitting duck waiting to slowly be snuffed out, "There's only one way to stop him. With the power of the Spirit Bomb. I just hope there's enough time."

Raising his hands to the heavens, he began the process of gathering the energy, certain then that though dead Callion had at least distracted Vegeta and as cold as it was, even in death she had been useful by allowing him the chance to get away and start preparing to mount a proper defense of the earth. _'You will not have died in vain, I promise you.'_

He then had a flash of realization a second later when the alarm bells in his head went off, and he sensed something off, opening his eyes which had been squeezed shut in concentration he looked up to see the leering red ones of the Saiyan prince.

_'Dammit!'_ He barely had enough time to think, before he leaped up out of the way of a giant fist only to be thrown through the air, by an equally beefy foot.

Groaning in agony as he hit the ground hard, amongst some boulders, _'That hurt.' _He had just opened his eyes groaning and counting out all of his ribs as he stared at first in stunned if distant awe as the ape leapt up through the air towards him crossing the distance in barely a few seconds.

"Now! Kaioken attack!" Goku screamed, instinct taking over as his only solution was to go times two, hope for the best and get the heck out of there. He let out another scream of pain a second later as he had just flown over the enemy Saiyan's head when the monster's tail sliced through the air towards him knocking him back with incredible dexterity and strength that had him rubbing his eyebrows, as he felt himself nearly hurl so dizzy and wracked with pain. _'Took it to the head, hope I don't have a concussion, I don't need a distraction like that now.'_

"Hahahahaha, you thought you could outmanoeuver me?" Vegeta shrieked in sadistic pleasure, still gloating as always, only to leap towards his enemy even as he taunted him, "C'mon! You can do better than that!"

So quick was he that Goku barely had time to raise his arms in an instinctive defensive gesture, which did little to lessen the pain he was soon the victim of.

* * *

(Sorry guys, gotta stop the fight to troll a little no way around it though this scene nearly didn't make the cut)

"This is bad," Baba commented grimly.

"Oh, no is it Goku?" Master Roshi asked fearfully, as he feared the worst for his one-time star Martial Arts pupil.

"Yes but, the image isn't clear," She replied still waving her hands over the orb now seated near the entrance.

"What is it Roshi?" Bulma asked speaking up from where she was seated next to Puar, laying down a new cloth on the cat's head, as she had briefly awakened only to pass out again, once they informed her what she had seen was no nightmare. _'Poor Puar, she was more a mother to me, than my own, poor thing if only Yamcha were here, he knew how to comfort her! And heck, I would love to see him again, for even just five minutes!'_

"What happened?" Chi-Chi asked hurriedly, as her, Ox-King, Launch, Oolong and Bulma hurried over to see what was happening eager to see what was happening in the fight.

"I saw a bright light," Baba said unhelpfully.

"Did you see them?" Bulma asked impatiently.

"Maybe it was the inside of her empty skull?" Launch taunted annoyed, by the old lady's needless comment just as Bulma was.

"Goku's power must have increased," Baba snarled at the blonde, her throat dry as she shot her a venomous glare that promised her the life of a toad for the remainder of her life-span, then was distracted by the sphere again, "Wait…"

"Then that means that, Goku must have won right?" Chi-Chi said hopefully, praying that this was the case.

"Please wait!" Baba hissed back at the women, _'They're giving me a headache!'_

"Goku!" Everyone shouted in unison when the image of him lying prone in the dirt appeared.

"Is he okay?" Chi-Chi asked desperately, as she shoved Baba aside for a closer view, _'He looks injured, but he'll recover right?'_

"He'd better be," Bulma muttered they couldn't have afford to lose him too to this fight, especially after everything they'd been through that day.

"Well, he's not dead yet," Baba pointed out, her words barely a comfort to the woman on her left, as she turned her head to look Bulma who was to her right, in the eye.

"I wonder what could have happened to him," Roshi asked himself confused by the image of Goku lying in the dirt, shuddering in agony. He had his answer a minute later as the image shifted to a new figure, this one positively more monstrous than he ever was before, "Oh no, look at the Saiyan! It's incredible, how did he transform without a moon!? I thought Kami had it removed for the day! It isn't supposed to come back, until tomorrow!"

His cry could be explained, by virtue of the fact that he had not just communicated with Goku, but had over the past several months. Shortly after Piccolo's destruction of the moon, been informed by Kami, just as all the defenders of the Earth had, of his own decision to restore it, then remove it temporarily during the Saiyan's invasion of the planet.

"What's wrong with Goku? He isn't fighting!" Bulma yelped helplessly, not understand why Goku wasn't moving and was just laying there, in pain. "Why is he just laying there like that?"

"Get up! Do what I said earlier, except use his damn guts too not just the spleen!" This time it was Launch who was already fingering one of her rifles, with a hate-filled look on her face to the massive worry of Roshi and Oolong, who eyed her fearfully as though she were the one who had transformed into a giant ape. "If he lays one hand on our Goku, I'll make him cry to his mommy, once he's back to normal!"

Of course, even Launch knew enough to fear the giant ape, blonde Launch that is, though she wasn't the only one to react with a vengeance as Chi-Chi latched onto Baba furiously, certain that there must be a rewind button or something on the crystal ball. She needed to do something, to lash out, to fight, there had to be something that could be done to know what happened so she could know how to help her endangered husband. "Tell me what happened to him!? Tell me what happened to my Goku NOW!"

This time when Baba managed to weasel out of her grasp, in order to start chanting over her sphere there was a heavy note of terror in her voice, as she worked desperately to view more of what was happening, her life was on the line after-all if the look in Chi-Chi's eyes was any indication and her previous steely grip was a hint too._ 'That girl's probably stronger than even my brother, dear spirits help me!'_

"Spirits hear me as I wail, show the Saiyan with no tail!" She had merely shifted the angle, it was all she could do, as she added, "It's coming through, perhaps this new angle will show us what we need to know-woah!"

She was once again shoved aside as Chi-Chi all but pressed her own face once more against the crystal ball, only to spot someone far behind the raging ape-form of the Saiyan monster, a robed figure with a sword girded to his obi, "Heeeyyy, who is that sitting down there? Is that Yajirobe?"

The crystal ball zoomed in on his face, as he stared fearfully up at the Saiyan, with Bulma now raging at the ball, "Yajirobe what are you doing? Why aren't you trying to help Goku?"

"That's it, he bites a bullet before those Saiyan pieces of shit!" Launcha cussed as she glowered venomously at the face of the fat man some distance from the fight.

"OOooooohhh! He can't hear us!" Bulma cried out as she gave a solid kick to the ball in front of her.

"Woah, hey!" Baba shouted as she chased after her precious crystal ball.

"Oh, Goku!" Chi-Chi whimpered not just because he was out there when he needed her and she was just sitting around doing nothing, but this must be absolute hell for her poor, kindly husband. _'To have to fight a giant ape, with what he's already endured because of it? Oh, my Goku, if only I could protect you from that monster! Goku my heart, please be okay!'_ She let out a cry of pure heartbreak a second later and burst into more tears, as Goku was thrown to the side at a mountain with a loud cry of pain.

* * *

"HWUHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't you think it's time to give up Kakarot?" Vegeta asked still playing with his proverbial food, "You're finished wuhahahahhahahaha!"

"He's incredibly fast for someone so big," Goku complained to himself, unable to believe how terrible his luck was, or how much pain his body was being put through, "I don't have the time I need to concentrate and create the Spirit Bomb!"

_'Even if the Kaioken was stronger I couldn't defeat him!'_ He told himself mentally, aware that even were he capable of doing a time ten Kaioken, it still wouldn't be enough. That is if the surge in energy and heat, didn't tear his muscles or melt them apart first.

"So you won't attack me huh?" Vegeta taunted as he smirked down at him, with those monstrous apish lips of his. "Fine, then I'll attack you!"

"I need at least ten more seconds," Goku stated to himself as he gritted his teeth in frustration. "I need that time to concentrate."

He happened upon his solution a second later, when his eyes fell upon the glowing light of the sun behind the opposing Saiyan, with a gasp Goku realized just how he could outmanoeuver his foe, buy time and maybe just clinch this battle once and for all.

"The sun! Yes, that's it!" Goku cheered to himself, if his enemy was so intent on using the moon as a weapon, why not get poetic and use the sun himself. An irony that would later please and amuse Goku immensely, though at that moment he was too busy worrying about his foe and trying to ensure he seized victory from the almost literal jaws of defeat. He cried out as he jumped up from his previous spot, in order to look down at the enemy who stared up at him, with open fangs clearly planning to eat and chomp on him to pieces, "Just one more look over here!"

_'He'd really sink to cannibalism? Ugh,'_ Goku thought somewhere in the back of his mind, as he wondered if there was no low this guy wouldn't go to, to win or otherwise torment those around him.

With his hands by the sides of his face and his fingers darted out, Goku called out this move with closed eyes, "Solar Flare!"

The resulting glare took but a few moments, yet the answering scream pleased Goku more than he could say, as he then Kaiokened away. "Now's my chance, time to put some distance between us."

"UWOAAUHH! MY EYES! MY EYES!" Vegeta raged behind him, filled with pity and self-righteousness over this terrible insult and 'injury'.

Goku came in for a landing, almost a kilometer away, hands instantly going to the heavens as he sought out the desperately needed energy from the Earth, even as he panted and huffed from the exertion, his body truly beyond its limits. "This should be far enough, I hope." Even as he prayed to the very things he began to speak of and to, aware that they were as alive as he were, more so in some ways, "Fine, here we go; the rivers, the trees, the wind! All the living things in nature, please offer me your energy, I beg of you!"

He closed his eyes in concentration even as he tapped the powers of all things around, over and under him, even Vegeta was alive and therefore supplying energy, in turn he suddenly felt a small sense of satisfaction when he felt the barely yet pulsating energy and heartbeat of Callion the woman Saiyan.

There was his very heart; Chi-Chi and his son, then there were his friends to everything else in the world, from every beautiful blade of grass, to the waves of the sea, to the birds, the animals, the wind, the air, the rocks.

Mountains too, they were very alive, as were the insects beneath the dirt, the animals of the jungles, 'I almost have enough, the power is coming to me. I can feel all of it completely surrounding me, just a little bit more…'

It was easily the most peaceful and blissful sensation in his life, it was also an affirmation of sorts. The most powerful force in the universe truly was life itself, life sustained the universe itself and to take one away was a horrible thing, while the most wonderful thing was to create, he had known this for some time, it was why he hated battles to the death. Better to participate in honourable Martial-Arts matches rather than to kill or be killed, it was also why his grandfather had marvelled and admired women in a way, their ability to create life from almost nothing.

Whereas, Goku himself likewise admired all creative forces too, and he was creating then, and it felt more beautiful than any other sensation he'd ever felt besides the love that Chi-Chi and Gohan filled him with.

_'This is it, this is my chance, now while he's still recovering I only have one shot at this,'_ Goku realized a few seconds later, as he narrowed his eyes at Vegeta, _'I have to make it count. Thank you, all things on Earth I could not have done it without you all, I am in your debt, and truly honoured for this opportunity to help everyone.'_

Vegeta by now though, was beginning to recover his eyesight, his recovery rate much more increased since he had become an ape, as he glanced about for his enemy. "Ugh, where is he? Where is he? You can run all you want Kakarot, but-but I will find you, do you hear me?"

_'C'mon Spirit Bomb, I need to hurry,'_ Goku thought desperately seeing that Vegeta was starting to shake off the effects of the Solar Flare, even as he began the process of processing the energy into a more destructive energy, absorbing more at the same time as he did so. For the attack to work, one needed to transform the energy else it was useless in terms of combat, so therefore processing it like ore was important, yet took almost longer than the actual absorption period.

"I could-I could feel his power, where is he?" Vegeta cried out, as he felt that same nauseating feeling, which was also a pressure in his mind which was so much greater than what it had been previously. And he finally put his finger on what it was that he was feeling, since a while back, since Nappa's fight with Kakarot. This sensation that almost felt like another person's presence within himself, and he hated it.

Now, Vegeta did not realize then that the reason this sensation had been jump-started, was also due to the Spirit Bomb taking energy from him, as it was only natural that one first learned to feel themselves, and then extend one's senses outwards. With Vegeta feeling Kakarot due to the other man's connection to his own energy, this was partly how the Spirit Bomb worked, as meanwhile Chi-Chi and Gohan felt it much more sharply due to their almost psychic bond to Goku.

Even Callion when she stirred momentarily, could finally feel something, as her ability to sense things had come along a little, and because of how the energy worked. Though her ability to sense, was nothing at the moment in comparison to the Saiyan prince, or those far more trained and talented in such a field such as Krillin or Roshi, or even Mr. Popo or Korin.

Meanwhile with the female Saiyan, with her Scouter destroyed, and with her all but unable to move, she tried, really she did but with almost all her bones broken, it was all she could do to stay conscious, but then she failed at that in the next second, passing out even as she began to gather her own energy, just in case for one or two final attacks. She'd go down fighting, or so Callion promised herself.

But it was not his own novice levels of sensing that enabled Vegeta to find his foe, but the glow coming from the various rocks around them, and even the skies as they moved to one spot, where an orange clad, half-naked man stood with his arms in the skies in that same gesture as earlier.

_'Must be begging for mercy or something,'_ Vegeta dismissed it with a snort, unable to understand what it was his enemy was doing or scheming.

_'Here it comes, alright, I feel it getting closer now,'_ Goku thought as he finally had a handle on all the power, now all that was left was shaping it with his own will and energy into something tangible, if this won't stop him-' "Then nothing will." He said completing his thought aloud.

"Got it!" He cheered only to lose his good-mood not even a second later.

But he was out of time as there was one thing that Goku could never have properly accounted for, even with having seen it already in use before; the mouth-blast. For he had known about it, but figured he could put enough distance between himself and his foe in order to have time to dodge, or counter-attack, but he couldn't. As this blast was far more powerful, far faster than the previous one, and struck far swifter with a larger explosive back-lash than the last, to his bewilderment.

Vegeta began to fly towards him, even as the normal formed Saiyan reared back his arm in preparation to throw his most dangerous weapon at the enemy, only to be out of luck when the blast headed straight for him, startling him and blowing up the whole area.

This time the blast hit dead on, starting and injuring Goku as he was thrown back only to lose huge chunks of energy even as he scrambled to retrieve it, more focused on that then on a proper landing.

_'I had it! I had it! No!'_ he thought desperately, as his body was burnt, smashed through two boulder, and through the dirt only to come to an abrupt and highly painful stop while he lay there, struggling to get all the energy back,

"Well I guess that does it for the great hero of this puny little planet, pity I was just beginning to enjoy the challenge," Vegeta complained, though this was deep-down a lie as he never enjoyed challenges, his was a privileged life wherein any struggle or pain was despised and rejected, in favour of the easier more convenient life, as he was an ultra-VIP and a first-class Saiyan. Struggle was for the peasants, such as Goku or Callion.

He began to snicker only to halt himself, when his ears picked up the sound of a distant groan of pain, as Goku twitched and shuddered, still wracked with agony from that last attack.

"I should have counted on him counter-attacking that way," Goku moaned as he sat up a little, one eye squeezed shut in pain even as he spoke in self-recrimination, "Boy, what a mistake that was. I would have only needed a few more seconds, and then he'd have been gone for good."

"Okay that does it, I've given you too many chances that was your last," Vegeta snorted while Goku began to stand up, cradling his broken left arm.

_'My body feel so weak, I can barely stand up I must have used up all my power trying to draw in that energy,'_ Goku mused in frustration even as he yelped in pain, unable to put up a proper fight or consider fleeing. He was truly trapped now.

"Ahhh, you look so scared," Vegeta boomed slowly walking towards him with another sneer on his ugly face, as he looked down upon his foe with more joy than he'd ever experienced all of that day save when he killed Nappa. _'Still a freaking turn-on, icing other Saiyans, maybe I ought to track Turles down, to ice him too.'_

"I'll put you out of your misery once and for all," He said continuing to play with his food, as he tried to stomp on the other Saiyan, this time using his left instead of his sore right leg with Goku leaping out of the way only to try to take flight and got knocked into a nearby mountain for his efforts by Vegeta's left arm.

Goku fell to the ground, spawling there and breathing heavily, hearing the laboured breathing of his enemy and seeing how at an all but odd angle his legs were, gave Vegeta an idea he just couldn't resist as he leaped up and let gravity overtake him, landing heavily with his left foot on the legs of his enemy.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Goku screamed at the top of his lungs, as his legs were all but literally crushed into jelly, a sensation he never believed he'd ever feel and that was quite frankly even after seeing it done to Callion, didn't lessen his own horrid more personal brush with the concept's pain. "EEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

"Sorry about that, apparently I've 'accidentally' squashed both of your legs, I guess that means that you can't run from me anymore now," Vegeta mocked his fallen foe, enjoying his pain, his torment more than how he used to enjoy torturing small animals back in his childhood, a pastime his father had encouraged and Frieza had scorned as petty and stupid, yet Vegeta had never truly outgrown.

It was something he had bonded with Turles over, and which had pushed them to torment Radditz later, in like fashion. He never did understand why Nappa had tried to cull those habits and ideas from him, stupid Nappa that just made him want to torment another Saiyan even more.

"I have to admit, you've been an interesting challenge Kakarot but in your heart, you must have known it would end this way," Vegeta went on, continuing to mock and verbally torment his foe, as he pulled back his whole right arm in preparation to crush Goku like an insect with just one finger.

"I just… can't believe this is it, it was great testing my abilities and all but unless I do something fast, he'll overpower me," Goku murmured darkness creeping up on him from the edges of his vision as the pain began to grow too much for him, having just come down from the highest point of his agony a few seconds before. "Alright, here goes…"

He had one last gambit, one last plan that while it might not kill his enemy it would at least slow him down and maybe just maybe, if he was lucky permanently injure the other man as he blasted up with the last of his own energy. The result was a VERY satisfying scream as Vegeta suffered his worst injury of the day thus far; a blast to the right eye.

"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" Now Vegeta had been injured, but nothing too severe or that maybe a bit of rest or simple first-aid couldn't manage, sure he had some minor burns from the blast earlier, but he was sturdily built and VASTLY more powerful than Goku and Callion almost put together, with neither thus far having done anything too badly to him, save for that x4 Kamehameha earlier. Mostly Vegeta had been melodramatic and over-exaggerating how he felt though he didn't know it, what with how he had never suffered any real injuries before.

But this injury was different, it was more severe and possibly permanent if left unchecked, and he could feel the difference on a conscious level even as he screamed and cried. Blood poured out for the first time, in an open injury as Vegeta's eye was severely damaged.

For the rest of his days, later on, he'd begin to suffer minor vision problems from that eye, and still later due to how long it took to get his wounds treated, he'd eventually lose all eye-sight in it, but that issue was neither here nor there at the present time. As he didn't think of that, he didn't know he hadn't lost the eye until a few minutes later, as it bled, and he roared with agony. (A monocle could probably fix that lol)

_'Should've done that sooner, maybe tried to knock out both eyes before I tried the Spirit Bomb, but oh well,'_ Goku thought with what was almost a shrug, he was finished when the Saiyan would recover from his injury with Goku's life almost literally counted in seconds, if not mere minutes if he was lucky or unlucky depending on how you looked at it. "That was my last bit of energy, I have no more power to fight against this monster with, I can only hope that it… buys me some time…"

He then lost consciousness, in too much pain and too injured to really stand up or so much as put up anymore of a fight as he lay there.

"DAAAMMNNNNN YOU KAKAROT! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL FACE! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" The vindictive royal howled down upon his foe a few minutes later, after Goku had regained consciousness and the prince had recovered from his own injury, as he soon swept up his defeated enemy in a spiteful fury, gathering him into both of his hands as he'd done to Callion earlier. Except this time, he planned for it to last longer, yes much longer he vowed, this would last for hours he hoped, or even days if he could help it. Anything to extend the pain and suffering of his most hated enemy of all times. "I'LL DESTROY YOU!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Goku howled now too, though with pain instead of fury, as all of his bones began to shatter and crumble, all thoughts save one dashing from his mind as he now hoped to lose consciousness, anything to avoid this white-hot agony of hell that was now his body and 'battle', _'I need to reclaim the energy, or as much of it as possible!'_

* * *

The first of the two of them to notice the disturbance far behind them, was Gohan. They had barely been flying for twenty minutes before he whipped around in shock, as he felt something he was sure Krillin felt too.

All Krillin initialy noticed was that Gohan had stopped flying, "Hey Gohan, what's the matter?" His eyebrows pinched together when the boy didn't respond, choosing to gape and stare off into the distance from where they came, with a frightened look on his face, "Gohan? Let's get moving. C'mon, we gotta get to Kame House."

_'Daddy, what is that? Something's different,'_ Gohan realized as he stared off into the distance once more, he didn't know what it was, but he could feel that his father was in danger, he needed them.

"Something's not right," Krillin realized a few minutes later after finally getting Gohan to start flying again, only to feel something off; a HUGE increase in power in the enemy's power-level. He shrugged it off for a few moments, as he tried to once again encourage his young friend, "We're almost at Kame House now."

"Yeah, I can feel it," Gohan stated a little distractedly, still divided as they flew forward, "Why are you slowing down Krillin?"

The cue-ball had only come to a stop in order to glance over his shoulder to determine what was what, yet when he did it was to find a shocking light flaring up in the distance, it was high in the heavens and blinding as though it were a second sun. "I don't remember that light being there before."

_'What is going on over there?'_ Krillin asked himself confused and worried, could that light have anything to do with the battle raging between Goku and that Vegeta guy? Gohan paused a second later when Krillin called out to him without thinking, wanting to make sure he wasn't the only one seeing the odd sight far off in the distance, "Look Gohan."

"What is that Krillin? Is that the moon?" Gohan asked curiously having only seen it twice before in his life, and he didn't really remember those times all that well, though he was pretty sure the moon shouldn't be out by just four in the evening, at least not in that part of the hemisphere.

"No, Piccolo completely destroyed the moon, I got no idea what it is." Krillin told him, having been told by Kami right before he brought it back eventually, as it was kinda've of important to have the moon in place for the earth, with him fairly sure that Piccolo had counted on Kami's wisdom when he destroyed it and then probably realized via their psychic link that it was gone for the day. Kami had warned all of the fighters, so he figured that Piccolo must have not considered it important for Gohan to know, not that he was sure why. _'He did like his secrets, and Gohan doesn't have a tail so there's nothing to really worry about in that regard.'_

"I got a bad feeling about this," He added a heartbeat later as he sensed a bit and could feel that 'not-moon' radiating with immense power more than he'd ever felt before, save from Goku's Kaioken, it actually seemed to be on a par in terms of power with that though. He could also feel something ominous, a growing storm of power that completely dwarfed all others he'd ever felt before in his life, it didn't feel like Goku or that female Saiyan either, it felt different, evil and far greater than them.

"That's where my dad is!" Gohan realized at the same moment, as he sensed it too and sensed his father's aura, being more attuned to it as his son, Krillin guessed. He had rarely seen a parent and child so connected, so close yet Goku and Gohan were both one of a kind and more than a little special.

But then they both gaped at each other when they realized the existence of the powerful aura which had ceased growing and who was the only one it could belong to. Staring away from one another, the two turned to gape in the direction of the 'not-moon' in the far off distance.

"Something really big is happening right now," Krillin stated pointing out the obvious with an inadvertent pun the likes of Callion would have lost her wits over.

"Yeah, I feel it too, but I don't think that energy is coming from my dad, or that Saiyan lady, you know?"

"No, this energy is definitely, coming from the other guy," Krillin explained having more experience when it came to sensing people's ki or auras, he then wondered what anyone could do against such a huge power-level, what any of them could even do to injure something like this let alone kill it. With that being said though, he then tried to say rather weakly to even his own ears, "But Goku will know what to do against a force like this." Then a bit more honestly, "I wish I could help."

"D-daddy," Gohan murmured helplessly, looking utterly destroyed.

"He'll be alright," Krillin lied, not sure if anyone would be alright against that huge power-level, but he couldn't let the kid go back, the last thing Goku would want would for Gohan to be put in danger, and he had tasked Krillin with his protection which was just what he was going to do.

His words though, had the opposite effect that he had hoped for from his young friend who narrowed his eyes in thought and with a steely look in his eyes flew a few feet towards the giant power-level and the lesser one that was Goku's. "I don't think so."

"Your dad is stronger than you think," Krillin argued this time sounding substantially more certain of himself, this was ground he could stand on for an argument, Goku's strength should never be discounted in any fight, especially that of his mind or heart.

"Krillin, I-I have to go back to him," Gohan replied much more convinced, as he turned his back to his friend who gaped at him in mounting horror, unable to believe what the kid had just said.

"Stop!" He cried after him, as his surrogate uncle it was up to the Goku's best friend to not allow this, he couldn't let Gohan rush to what was clearly certain death, as he then argued more reasonably, no longer kidding the kid with obvious lies, "There isn't anything that you can do."

"I can feel it, my daddy needs my help. If I don't go back, he's going to lose," Gohan replied straining against his tears, even as he tried and failed to even bring himself to say that Goku could die, such a notion was impossible, Gohan could not bring himself to even think it. To lose him again, but a year after he got him back, and this time much more permanently would be more than what the boy could possibly ever handle. "I can't leave him."

So startled and confused by what the boy was thinking and could possibly do, Krillin blurted it all out without even keep his brain from properly conditioning his reply, "But what is it that, you think you can do to help?"

"I don't know," Gohan replied weakly in a shaky voice as his shoulders began to tremble, sobs wracking him leaving his voice hoarse. "But-but I have to try! I can't just sit around waiting to find out what happens."

_'No, don't cry kid, don't cry! You know I'm weak to tears!'_ Krillin thought to himself in horror, he hated tears ever since he was a little kid he had never been able to bring himself to know what to do, or even what was the proper response when someone cried. Be it Goku the three times he caught him when they were boys, crying over his lost grandpa, Bulma sobbing over a break-up, Yamcha sobbing over the same break-up or over being alone in the world that one time, to Launch crying a few times over Tien leaving her behind. It didn't matter how small or how big the issue was, he hated tears and hated to see his friends hurting and hated feeling so small and helpless that he could do nothing but sit around and let their pain aggravate itself or be aggravated by his block-head words.

"Try not to worry, Goku can handle himself, don't you remember what he did to that big guy? He couldn't even stand up when your dad was finished with him." Krillin argued weakly again, this time striving to seem like he knew what he was talking about more, though it was deep down killing him not to be able to rush back and help Goku himself. He couldn't just leave the guy to die again, now could he? Not that this was doing that, what with how important Gohan was. _'I'm so confused, ugh, Roshi you'd know what to do but I'm not you, and I've got no idea what's the right thing here, my head says go one way and my heart says both while my gut tells me to go back. What a mess.'_

"Yeah, but something's…" Gohan protested his fists clenching themselves furiously, as he bit his lip, some things were beyond even his dad he suddenly realized. If Piccolo could die, so could his dad, especially where these Saiyans were involved, Nappa murdering the Namekian had been a real eye-opener, just as his father's death had been a year before. Raising his eyes his decision made he shouted out the last bit of his thoughts out defiantly, "Not right!" He continued, to the mounting horror of Krillin, "I'm going to go help him, no matter what!"

"Gohan wait! You can't go alone, listen to me dammit!" Krillin shouted after him, even as Gohan took off towards the glowing orb, with the older male chasing after him startled by how fast Gohan was going. _'Oh, everyone's going to kill me if the Saiyan doesn't do it first!'_

Gohan zoomed through the air at break-neck speed which would have shocked and startled even Vegeta and Goku if they could have seen him coming, as he thought to himself,_ 'Don't worry dad, we're coming as fast as we can!'_

_'Gohan sure is determined, he's becoming more like his dad with every passing day,' _Krillin thought to himself with a small amused smile despite himself as he barely managed to keep up with the infant.

He then made the decision, it was done in a split-second as he realized that if he couldn't stop Gohan, then he'd have to back him up and protect him, _'Sorry Goku, Chi-Chi you guys may never forgive me but I won't let anything happen to him, I promise I'll die first which given today's luck looks fairly likely.'_

Always a downer, he was the first one to notice the explosion in the distance, with the first blast having scared both of them as it ravaged its way through the skies, only to disappear into the distance behind them, only for Krillin to again notice the second explosion.

A second later he commented, "It feels like someone's power is beginning to fade."

"Yes, my daddy's!" Gohan said in a voice tight with fear, grief and trepidation, even as he sped up some more.

"We're close, let's hurry." Krillin declared more determined than ever before, as he kept his eyes on the horizon,_ 'We're coming Goku, I swear it to you I won't let you die now either, that Saiyan will have to kill me before he can get to anyone in the Son family!'_

"Wow, I want to help, but I can't, you know how it is," Yajirobe was saying a short distance away from the ape squeezing the life out of his friend, as he backed away he added, "I gotta look out for number one. I hope you won't take it personally."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Was the answering cry.

"Huhahahahahahahaha! I'm going to crush your puny bones!" Vegeta gloated as he squeezed even more, deciding not to use all his strength as he had found a new toy to play with, _'Why didn't I do this years ago with Callion or Radditz? This is too much fun!'_

As Goku screamed, Yajirobe squeezed his ears with his hands wanting to shut those horrible screams out, he could not escape the barbed daggers that stabbed him in the heart with each cry that the great hero dished out then.

"The sky is so bright Krillin, what's that light?" Gohan asked a short distance away as he flew past several of the mountains in the area.

"I don't know, whatever it is, isn't natural that's for sure. Ugh, I've got a bad feeling about this," Krillin grumbled under his breath for the tenth time today, or maybe it was the tenth million time? Either way, both him and Gohan were in for a surprise a short while later when they passed a few more mountains only to gasp as they took notice immediately, of one major problem in their little 'rescue operation'; Vegeta was in full-ape form.

"What in the world is that?" Gohan yelped terrified, having never seen anyone go ape-form before.

Krillin on the otherhand recognized it, he gasped and felt every hair on his body, from his brows to his chest and back hair stand on end, a familiar feeling of terror gripped him as he gazed upon a monster he had hoped was gone forever. Reacting instantly, he turnd to Gohan, "Gohan wait! We'd better not go near that thing!"

_'How did he transform, and in the middle of the day like that? There's no moon out especially at this time what with what Kami and Piccolo did,'_ Krillin thought panicking only to look around for a safe place to hide, and scope out the situation then arrange a counter-attack against Vegeta.

"But-but what about dad?" Gohan pleaded worriedly, more concerned for his father than for himself.

"Let's go down here and hide," Krillin instructed sharply, as he came in for a landing to his right, and behind some nearby mountains, some of the last from the battle between Goku and Vegeta.

"Huh, who is that?" Yajirobe wondered only now taking notice of them, as he finally shook himself out of the web of terror he had woven around himself, as he sensed two great power-levels nearby.

_'He's transformed into a giant ape, just like Goku used to do, which means we gotta knock that tail off of him,'_ Krillin mused with gritted teeth, oh how he hated that transformation and all the monstrosities it could do.

"What's wrong, Kakarot you look like you're in a lot of pain," Vegeta mocked amused by the screams of his enemy, as he squeezed him, then slightly more conversationally with a chuckle, "Here, have some more."

"Goku's in pretty bad shape," Krillin noted as he landed, immediately examining the situation and attempting to figure out what they could do to stop this from continuing. _'What happened to the other Saiyan? Is she already dead? Did she run? Damn, don't have time to look for her, need to focus on helping Goku even if it'd be a lot easier with someone stronger than us.'_

As they broke into a run straight towards the enemy Saiyan, he spoke to Gohan, "C'mon, we have to move fast!"

"Stop!" Yajirobe yelled as he came out of nowhere in front of the pair, or what seemed to be nowhere as they jumped back with each of them yelping in surprise.

"Yajirobe!" Krillin hissed furiously, what was this guy doing here and just standing around while Goku was being tortured?

"Hey, what are you thinking? Do you know how strong that monster is? Well do you?" Yajirobe yelled at him pointing at Vegeta, who failed to hear them in spite of his acute hearing due to the screams he was extracting from his victim.

"We gotta help Goku," Krillin snapped irritably, he didn't care about the particulars of what the fat warrior was thinking, sure they needed a plan, but they also needed to help their friend, as he would do the same for them.

"But how exactly are you planning to do that? It's suicide!" Yajirobe continued to shout, as the cueball shot a worried look towards the Saiyans.

_'Yeah, just go on and shout you moron,'_ Krillin growled mentally, the last thing they needed was Vegeta finding out they were there, discrection was key to this part of the plan. "We got one chance, if we cut off his tail, he'll turn back to normal."

"His tail?" Yajirobe gasped, only now keying into this key detail that had been common knowledge amongst his friends as he hadn't ever paid it any mind or attention.

"But how?" Gohan asked uncertainly, the monster was quite big and how did Krillin know all of this? Did this mean that other Saiyans could turn into giant monstrous apes too?

"You two, go out there and get his attention, while I sneak up behind him, I only need a few seconds," Krillin told them, thinking rapidly as he looked from Yajirobe to Gohan, he had more experience with these monsters yet even he didn't know how acute their hearing was, else he'd have prepared a back-up plan yet as things stood he was operating with what little he did know about the monsters. He looked back to the swordsman, "I know it's risky, but unless you have any better ideas, it's our only choice." He dashed forward a few steps only then noticing how Gohan and Yajirobe had hesitated behind him, "Hurry or Goku's toast!"

"R-right let's go," Gohan agreed eyes steeling themselves as he heard his daddy cry out in more pain,_ 'How could this monster hurt him? He must be the most evil person in the universe to do such a thing! He's worse than that Radditz guy from a year ago, or that Nappa monster.'_

"Give me a break, you two want _me_ to get his attention?" Yajirobe whined a second after the two pipsqueaks had dashed off into action, in opposite directions, one headed for in front of Vegeta while the other moved to behind him. "So what if he does turn small again, face it he's still going to be way too strong for us to beat him."

_'Hold on daddy, we're coming,' _Gohan thought almost certain his perceptive father could read his mind, he always could in the past or so it seemed, why not now? He hoped such was the case, if only to give his father some reassurance, _'I won't let him or anyone else ever hurt you again! I swear it daddy!'_

_'Goku has no power,'_ Krillin noticed as he moved into position too, _'We gotta hurry. If we don't move fast, he could die any second. And I've buried enough friends for one day, it's time to make a stand, and it has to be now or never!'_

"Somebody's coming," Vegeta realized then corrected himself, two people were coming he had only heard one initially or thought he did, but he was sure that he had heard two of them. He searched the area, impatient and irritated at having his game interrupted, "Who could it be? Who is it?" When they didn't reveal themselves, he felt uncertainty well up in his gut, uncertainty soon became fear as the fear-ridden Saiyan demanded though at his maximum power, "I know you're out there, show yourself! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"Right here!" Was the answering cry as Gohan appeared onto the top of a mountain next to him, on his left. "You put my dad down right now!"

Vegeta's response was as mocking as could ever be expected as he decided to humiliate the child, his previous fear of the unknown forgotten as he did so, "Hahaha, oh no it's you, please don't hurt me. I'll do anything you say, please don't hurt me, hahahaha." Then more darkly, as he eyed his current victim with a smirk, "I'll put your father down, it might be one piece at a time, but I'll definitely put him down hwuhahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

If looks could kill, Gohan's hate-filled glare would have put Vegeta in his well-deserved grave then, but unfortunately looks could no more hurt or kill someone than someone twitching their noses could.

"Hahahaha, now which piece would you like first?" Vegeta taunted cruelly, still consumed by his game or so it seemed to Krillin, who had not noticed the breath through the nose or the twitching ears, else he'd have tried another move, another plan to try to save his friend but as things stood, he didn't realize then that Vegeta was already aware of his presence behind him. With the midget stinking from all the sweating he had done all day, combined with the giant-ape's enhanced hearing and sense of smell, it was a bigger question how he could not take notice of the two of them.

"You better not hurt him!" Gohan screamed in a hoarse voice, furious with the monster before him.

"It's a little too late for that! Hwyuhahahahahahaha!"

"Destructo-Disk!" Krillin breathed out as he channeled all of his energy again, unsure if since he had only gotten half his energy back if he could still do this, but he was soon rewarded with a growing disk of energy, it'd be tricky to maintain but it should do the trick once it hits. Still though, he grunted and growled as he struggled to maintain its shape, its texture and keep it from cutting him to shreds both physically and in terms of ki.

"Say goodbye to your father, you should be very proud of him, it is rare for me to have to transform in order to win a battle." Vegeta sneered, heartlessly pressing one whole hand over Goku's head, planning to pop it off or squeeze it off in front of the man's own son._ 'I can't wait to see what his face will look like! This will be good, maybe better than torturing Kakarot's whelp in front of him, when I can torture him to death and scar his son for the remainder of his life which will be counted in second… or maybe I could keep him as a pet to torment, I will need one after being rid of Callion, Radditz and Kakarot after-all.'_

_'Krillin hurry,'_ Gohan prayed mentally not sure how much more of this he could take, or his father could for that matter.

"Whuhahaha, what a waste, it's a shame the two of us couldn't see eye-to-eye," Vegeta mocked as he continued to play around rather than get to the point only to squeeze a bit harder on Goku.

He was interrupted in his torments of his broken victim, by Krillin finally tossing the disk towards him, this cut had it hit given the angle would have sliced the tail off alright, but also the lower half of Vegeta's body. However, in a day full of rotten luck, Krillin's piss-poor luck peaked or should it be said, bottomed out as Vegeta suddenly leaped up, with the large disk rushing straight for Gohan who froze with a gasp.

Gohan though had better luck (sorta've), as the disk sliced through the mountain beneath his feet, then went on for quite some distance, as he gaped down even as the ground beneath his feet crashed back down onto the mountain beneath it.

"Oh man! How did he know?" Krillin gasped as he trembled where he stood, unable to believe how rotten his own luck could be. _'If it gets any worse, I'll have to grow my hair, scar my face and call myself Yamcha! Dammit!'_

"Did you really think, you could sneak up on me little man?" Vegeta demanded as he looked over his shoulder at the midget with his own good eye, "Did you really think that you could fool me with a simple ruse? I didn't believe for a second that Kakarot's son came here to face me all alone. Ha, I knew from the instant I saw him that he was merely trying to distract me from the real threat. You'll have to do better next time, except there won't be a next time. You're finished, right as soon as I finish squeezing the life from Kakarot, you're next once I'm done."

_'Dammit, he anticipated my attack, he must have heard or caught my scent, or something, I'm sorry Goku, we tried! But he's just too strong for us, I don't know what else we can do!'_ Krillin raged in his mind trembling in defeat, as he glared at Vegeta who bent back over Goku, eager to resume his previously schemed plan to torment Gohan and Goku.

"HWYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Take a good look, this is what you have to look forward to, once I get my hands on you!" Vegeta shouted at both of them, though his eye remained fixed upon Gohan, a smirk on his lips as he could all but taste the pleasure, he would feel from it.

"NO! We can't let him do this! GOKU!" Krillin shouted helplessly, but he could barely move anymore, let alone fight because of his failed attack. The Destructo-Disk was powerful and a game-changer, but it took too much energy to be used practically, he suddenly realized with a burst of horror and frustration. _'If only I had had more time, to better develop it!'_

"No, dad no…" Gohan breathed out brokenly as he heard whimpers coming from Vegeta's hands, as the giant ape began to slowly squeeze his father into dust, only to lose it, as he screamed with all he had, "STOOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT! I SAID STOP IT!"

Vegeta paused, and though Gohan took up a Martial-Arts pose and shot him an even more venomous glare, he snickered as he could see the tears in the corner of the boy's eyes, he loved that look, it was those tears that gave him the courage and the cruelty to ignore what his ears were telling him and made him twist the knife in Gohan's poor young heart, "Sorry kid, but you're in no position to be giving me orders."

He began to advance menacingly, Krillin noticed towards Gohan, "Oh no, Gohan!"

"Ooohhh? No more orders? How's about last requests?" Vegeta taunted mistaking Gohan's newfound trembling for fear (it was really rage) as he paused as he loomed over him, coming to a stop a short distance away. "Hywhahahahahahahahaha! HUH?"

There was a flash of steel, as Yajirobe had finally pulled himself out of his state of frozen terror, having planned to flee he had even gotten his Capsule Corp floating car out of its capsule, before he hesitated one last time, unsure of himself.

He had suddenly remembered Gohan, even Goku as a kid, and had asked himself, _'If this isn't it, what's Chi-Chi gonna do to me? Even so it is and-dammit he's just a kid, once we get to Otherworld, they're all gonna keep reminding and nagging me about this. He's just a kid and, dammit I failed him!'_

So with a certain amount of desperation, Yajirobe had moved forward, as silently as he could, which was about as silent as an elephant with a thorn in its foot but thankfully Vegeta was distracted, torture always had that effect on him, made him forget his surroundings and get careless.

It was done in a heartbeat. One minute, Vegeta was standing there, in full apish glory, next one he was beginning to shrink. The gargantuan tail crashed to the ground with a loud boom, with Yajirobe hitting the ground seconds later, and immediately dashed off to behind another mountain full of terror as he did so.

"Impossible, who-who did this to me?! Where did he come from?" Vegeta cried out staring up at his 'non-moon' sphere in the skies, horrified and in pain (not as bad as the eye but still losing a limb didn't tickle), Yajirobe in the meantime was huffing and panting, "You fools you don't understand what you've done!"

Vegeta backed up, screaming and roaring all the way, as he began the process of shrinking back to his original proper 5'3 feet of height, dropping the now larger yet still broken Goku as he did so, unable to hold onto him with both hands anymore. Gohan and Krillin simply stared, all the while their brains trying to catch up with what happened as they stood there stunned.

"Yaj-Yajirobe, he did it!" Krillin cheered a second later, as he continued to stare in shock and delight at the shrunken Vegeta, _'Did we finally catch a break?'_

"I must be out of my mind, I couldn't have picked a worse time to be brave," Yajirobe complained, well-hidden behind a mountain, as he sheathed his sword, horrified by his own 'stupidity' (or newfound courage).

"Yeah, alright, he's gone back to normal," Krillin cheered only to suddenly ask himself why he had previously thought this was considered 'catching a break', when he remembered how much stronger than them Vegeta was.

"Those little… pests!" Vegeta growled hatefully, as he panted and stared down at his still gloved hands, to have one's tail chopped off was the ultimate shame in Saiyan culture, it was a prized possession and not something they could afford to lose, to lose it was to forfeit one's status/one's standing in society, or so Nappa had always drilled into him. "How could I be so careless?"

"He never even saw it coming," Krillin commented mentally going over what they could do, he was tapped out, chief problem of his best move, this left only two people capable of fighting; Gohan and Yajirobe, scratch that, only Gohan. "Still though, wow who'd have thought that Yajirobe had it in him!"

_'Alright, I've done my good deed for the day, they could take it from here,'_ Yajirobe thought to himself, getting just about ready to leave especially if that Saiyan's previously demonstrated sadistic side combined with his nasty temper were anything to go by.

"You're all going to… PAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!" Vegeta howled to all of those gathered, his one enraged, hateful eye settling on the now terrified Krillin, "You've disgraced me for the first and final time!"

"Oh boy, I hoped cutting his tail off would stop him, it just made him angrier," Gohan yelped fearfully, as he trembled where he stood.

"You're all going to know a new meaning for the word pain," Vegeta spat, his speech barely making any sense, as he was also salivating, he was so enraged. "You will all suffer!"

Naturally as a bully, Vegeta turned to what seemed like the most vulnerable person around, as he turned away from Krillin, and his eye settled upon Gohan, Krillin pulled himself out of his stupor long enough to scream out a warning to the boy, "Gohan get out of there!"

It was too late though, as Vegeta flew up and kneed Gohan square in the middle of his temple, sending the boy flying back a few feet, to the edge of the mountain top. He then stood back up with a small groan of pain, only to start trembling when he looked up in time to see Vegeta leering down at him.

"What's wrong you seem scared," Vegeta noted enjoying this, right before he delivered with all his strength a solid right-hook punch into Gohan's tiny gut, which drew all the breath from him. He then taunted rather hypocritically so given his own fears especially of Frieza, and of anyone near his own power-level or higher than it, such as Zarbon or Dodoria. "A brave Saiyan like yourself shouldn't be scared, it's not becoming."

Gohan fell at his feet, with a strangled moan even as he heaved out his lunch, puking it at Vegeta's feet as the prince smirked down at him, "I guess those powers of yours are taking a nap. Pity."

Behind him though, shaking with rage since this 'fight' if this abuse could even be called that, was Krillin. Abused as a child, tormented by hypocritical monks not unlike Vegeta in some ways, in their mockery and insensitivity, Krillin had never outgrown his hatred for bullies, for those who oppressed the weak especially children. It was why he loved Roshi and Goku so much, it was because of their big hearts and how they had always protected others.

Frothing at the mouth with rage, Krillin reacted before he even realized that he was moving, as he charged forward faster than ever before, his energy rising as he did so, fist raised and a valiant shout of pure outrage and righteous fury on his lips.

Unfortunately for him Vegeta heard him coming, and with a sound kick that carried with it all of his remaining strength, Krillin was sent flying back, crashing through the dirt, then a nearby rock then up and into a mountain, only to fall to the ground with more than half the bones in his body broken and shattered. His consciousness leaving him, where he'd fallen.

"Patience little man, you'll get your turn," Vegeta snorted at the crumpled-up fighter far behind him.

"Aw man, we're all doomed," Yajirobe whined watching from the side-lines as always.

"Hwuhahahahahaha!" Vegeta cackled as he placed one large right boot on the back of Gohan's head, "Up you brat, get up! I'm not through with you just yet." Vegeta followed up his taunts by picking up the child, "C'mon boy, defend yourself I thought you were a Saiyan, so fight me! Show me what you're made of."

He followed this statement by bashing his head against the vulnerable one of young Gohan, who screamed out in pain which could have pulled at the heart-strings of anyone with a heart, it certainly did for even the likes of Yajirobe or the self-serving Callion some distance away, but with Vegeta it did little more than excite him in ways that would have disgusted even Nappa.

_'It's that kid, what's his name? Gohan? Yes that's it, I suppose he's dying now,' _Callion mused almost lethargically, regaining consciousness for the first time in awhile, she knew that Vegeta had done that orb trick of his to become an ape, how else could he have crushed her under-foot like that, however while she never could do the trick herself (she hated her ape-form with a passion), she supposed it wouldn't be so bad to consider looking up at the heavens if things became worse. _'But I can't control such a form, so it'd probably make things worse, ugh my body it hurts! Dammit I hate that guy.'_

Gohan's pain was immaterial she told herself, yet much as she tried not to, she could almost hear her own, or even Radditz's cries much as she had hated the long-haired sadist, she had pitied him whenever Vegeta got his hands on him.

_'He's going to do to Gohan what he did to us, ugh has he no honour? Either way, I suppose once committed to a fight, I should at least throw it all out there,'_ She told herself, opening one eye to stare, even as she grumbled, "What a lousy time to be losing consciousness."

_'I can't feel my legs too much, they're probably completely broken, my left arm is still all screwed up while my right arm has… the wrist intact, okaayyyy, now that's something I can work with, I can still lift the arm up a little but it'll hurt, like hell.'_ She thought to herself, as she gathered energy, she raised her chin, and tried to look around with her eyes before settling them on the side of distant Vegeta. _'Still going strong, and fighting kids, typical. Well I've got a gift for you. I may not care for the kid, but you'll get your little just reward for all the children you've shattered, and all those you've dishonoured, mark my words.'_

Callion had her gathered energy, and while it was difficult and she had many false starts, she did manage to condense some of the energy from her blast into flight, instead as she would need to get closer to make this shot count.

"You're low-class scum just like your father," Vegeta told the boy, not aware of the approach of his former subordinate.

* * *

"Oh, no he's got Gohan!" Ox-King cried out, heart ripped to pieces as he stared into the crystal ball at his grandson, he couldn't understand this man, couldn't fathom how anyone could ever want to hurt poor pure little Gohan, with his smiles, his love for nature and his gentle nature so like his father. _'First my boy, now Gohan? What sort of monster is this guy? Oh, please somebody do something!'_

"I can't watch!" Bulma whimpered, starting to cry as she looked away from this horrific scene, Oolong did the same.

"If he lays one more hand on the boy, he's DEAD!" Launch screeched as she moved to go for the rifle that they had struggled so hard to get away from her, they were all currently sitting around the ball on the table, with the gun on the counter, and nobody moving to stop her so furious and shocked were they.

"How could anyone be so cruel to a child!?" The outraged Roshi bellowed in disgust, why he remembered his own Gohan at that age, or Ox-King, and though they had both been good boys, they were positively cruel compared to this Gohan, who had never wanted to hurt anyone.

Everyone then remembered one person, someone who hadn't spoken up, hadn't reacted or responded in any way to this horrible event, she simply stared at the ball as placidly as though she were watching a hockey game or something.

"Chi-Chi are you alright?" Ox-King asked nervously, hoping she hadn't gone catatonic with the shock or something.

"Oh wow, it looks like she clocked out," Oolong commented.

"She's just scared, I don't blame her, poor thing," Bulma murmured hand coming up to Chi-Chi's shoulder in order to squeeze it gently, maybe words couldn't reach her but some sort of sign from one of her friends should be able to help somehow, just to show they were with her in her darkest hour.

"Chi-Chi snap out of it," Oolong desperately said to her, waving a hand in front of her as he moved over the table to sit in front of her to do so. "Can you hear me? It's Oolong!"

The hand that came up didn't tremble, didn't waver. It was sure, strong and steady. Too much so, for Oolong's taste as they found out a second later when he began to feel his wrist get squeezed in a vice-like grip that could have crushed rocks to nothing.

"OUCH! That hurts," Oolong whimpered as she squeezed his wrist easily.

"Fight," Chi-Chi breathed too softly for any of them to hear her immediately, then more loudly as the grip on the wrist relaxed to the startled pleasure of the pig, "Fight him Gohan."

From a long line of warriors, and as the toughest woman on Earth the first to ever equal (and later surpass) Roshi, Chi-Chi had married Goku in equal parts due to his gentleness, his wisdom, as it was because he was a Martial-Artist. As passionate as her forebears and father were about such things as she was, none could ever claim to be as passionate as her in some ways when it came to being a Martial-Artist.

Therefore, for her child to simply give up without a fight, when his life and that of his father's were in jeopardy was horrendous to her mind, it wasn't just heartbreaking it was outrageous. It was an outright insult, she wouldn't let this man, this alien piece of filth, dishonour her husband, her family, and then choose to abuse and torture her child, all while that boy could defend everything she held dear, and chose not to?

The dam broke on her emotions as she bellowed with more ferocity, and red-faced fury than anyone had ever seen her demonstrate before in her life, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT GOHAN! FIGHT! DON'T LET HIM BEAT YOU OR YOUR FATHER! YOU CAN DO IT! FIGHT HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, DON'T LET HIM HURT YOU! FIGHT HIM GOHAN!"

The others struggled to get poor Oolong who was being waved around almost like a baton, from her grasp even as they tried to soothe her, but Chi-Chi was beyond reason, as a warrior-princess and descendent (on both sides) from warrior clans, and with a broken husband she began to fly into a berserker fury that would have had some of her ancestors proud. Now while, she and her father had never truly liked killing or violence, they did however love sportsmanship and Martial-Arts, and they both also loved defending their loved ones. So her fury was only reasonable, given her upbringing and what she had already endured that past year, let alone that one day.

The crystal ball was accidentally kicked, and was left in the corner forgotten, as everyone strove to calm the bewildered, enraged and highly worried Chi-Chi, who was breaking down into a primal fury over what seemed like the inevitable loss of her entire family in one single horrible battle.

* * *

"I think it's time I threw you out with the rest of the trash," Vegeta taunted the boy with a smirk, "You're all used up."

He slowly walked, he did have all day he figured, little did he notice hidden as it was beneath Gohan's clothing, given how hard the boy had striven to hide it these past weeks from Piccolo, something pressing in from the back of his shirt; his tail. No one had noticed, most believed that it had to simply exist to react to a moon, but this is blatantly false, it is only when full-grown that the Saiyan can react to the moon, with this particular tail mere minutes away from full growth though nobody yet realized this.

Once at the edge of the mountain, Vegeta tossed Gohan down, to land beside the boy's broken father, where he landed with a small yelp of pain and a thud.

"G-Gohan it's dad," Goku whispered softly, hoping to get his son's attention though he could barely summon up the energy or even the ability to speak up, his throat was so dry and his body so broken.

"Well, Kakarot's awake again, he just doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Vegeta complained in amusement.

"Yeah, make's two of us," Someone said from behind him, just before there was a short whistling sound then a small explosion no bigger than the size of somone's head, as Vegeta staggered forward a little, the armour on his back cracked as he caught himself with a short cry.

"You? B-but y-y-y-you-you're dead!" Vegeta gasped as he turned to look, only to see Callion barely floating there, one eye squeezed shut as blood poured down her head, from multiple injuries even as her legs and arms lay there, the woman had turned around, having fired the blast from behind her with an open palm, then turned to face him.

"Not quite, you fool, you tend to do a half-assed job haha," Callion taunted him her head pounding even as she thought, _'Why am I even sticking my neck out for these losers? Oh well, Vegeta should be almost tapped out, he's been wasting and using up so much ki energy, he's gotta run out soon, and just collapse or something, then I'll kill him.'_

"Gohan, please don't give up," Goku murmured to his son, "Callion's bought us time, but not much. Listen, my body is shredded, I can't use it anymore so you're going to have to fight for both of us."

The problem was, she wasn't thinking straight, what with a concussion, fractured skull and bleeding from so many injuries, her plan was made just as her consciousness was giving out, only for it to be brought back to fullness a second later when Vegeta rocketed towards her, with a sound punch to the jaw, and swift knee to the gut. Which sent her flying back, through a nearby hill, and onto her stomach, where she lay unconscious at last, defeated it seems.

"When will you fall?" He demanded furiously, he had his answer a second later, when she with one last cry simply fell, unable to maintain her flight just as Vegeta sped it up by elbowing her to the skull, "I'll deal with you later, for now I have to deal with Kakarot and his whelp."

It pained Goku to have to use his son like this, to have to use him as though he were a soldier, but if he didn't do this, then everyone would die, and he couldn't allow that either. Glancing over at his son was all he could do, as turning his head did take all of his strength yes, but it also was one of the only bones in his body not broken.

"He's got to be hurting pretty bad too, we can't give in, this is our only chance," Goku breathed hoping his boy heard him. "Please Gohan."

"Dad," Gohan answered him sending a brief spike of hope into Goku's heart, when he realized he had heard his broken whispering voice, they were dashed on the ground a second later, "I don't think that I can do it, he's just too strong for me, I'm scared of him."

Gohan shuddered, even as Goku fought against despair and Callion blacked out once more, her injuries more severe than even she knew, as she smashed into one rock then fall forward onto the ground with a thud, her head-wound worsening a little, when it struck the ground making her cry out a little only to pass out. Once again proving, how outclassed by Vegeta she was.

"I hate to tell you I told you, but you really should have joined me Kakarot," Vegeta blathered on, "You had your chance, now you, your son, the woman and the bald guy, you're all history!" Then he amended his statement a heartbeat later when he suddenly remembered one major detail; "And let's not forget about the sneaking coward who cut my tail!"

"Hey son, don't be scared," Goku told his son in an encouraging voice a small smile on his cracked lips, as he did so, "You're a lot stronger than you think. Piccolo trained you very well, you have to have faith in him. Thanks to his training, you can win, I know you can."

_'And I've never lost faith in him, and will never lose any of my faith in you, my boy,'_ Goku thought as he pleaded now with his eyes, those he shared with his darling boy, as he prayed that some of Chi-Chi or Piccolo's will had been imbued into Gohan, somewhere deep down.

He grinned as he decided to let his son in on a bit of his plan, what little it consisted of, given how it relied on one beaten boy, a tortured man and another who had just had almost half his boken shattered with one resounding kick. "Hey, you're not alone, you still have Krillin to lend you a hand."

"I can't move," Gohan spluttered anxiously, with a bit more force than what Goku or Krillin could summon, as Krillin groaned then yelped as he tried to force himself up, upon hearing Goku's words. "I don't think I can do it dad."

The yelp resulted from leaning on the wrong arm, apparently his right arm was completely broken all the way from the fingers to the shoulder. With all of his ribs broken and smashed to pieces or what seemed like it.

Goku by now was out of patience, and out of time as he tried to plead in his most authoritative voice then, though it came out more begging and whimpering than powerful and severe, "Yes you can, I know it and-" he huffed his chest full of pain from the attempt to speak up, as his bones or what was left of them protested, though not all of the pain was physical, as he missed Piccolo then more than ever, "-And so did Piccolo. He believed in you, that's why he gave his life to save yours."

The memory of Piccolo's explosive, horrible death flashed through Gohan's mind as he looked up at his dad hopeful for more encouragement, even as a part of him doubted his words as he had no belief in himself then. Goku didn't relent as he smiled at him, with all the love any father could ever have for their child.

"I believe in you too, son," Goku stated with a tight throat, reaching out a hand with all his might, with all the ability that his shredded and destroyed body could, as he willed it to move.

If he was to die here, he'd at least die ensuring he had died being what he swore to himself he'd be until his dying day when he first held his son in that delivery room in that hospital. A father. He loved his boy, and his bloodied knuckles inched towards Gohan's tiny hand, even as tears marred his vision and he smiled at his boy, wanting his last sight to be of love not of hatred. _'Thank you Piccolo, I'll at least make sure Gohan survives this, as you did. You set an example, and I won't let it be for nothing even as I try to live through this to follow it.'_

He truly did believe in Gohan, and he truly did think that Piccolo would have been proud of the boy, who now smiled wetly back at him and reached out with a happy smile for his quivering hands. _'His hands are still so small, I missed so much but-but I don't want to miss any more of his life.'_

_'Daddy,'_ Gohan thought touched, reached for his father's hand, that hand that had until now seemed so big and strong, which was now blood-soaked and weak, that smile of pure love, those eyes that always conveyed so much and promised so much for his future.

In some ways, Goku had stepped into the role of mother, with Chi-Chi always pushing their son, and stepping into the role of father, it was a peculiar thing, but it fit with their personalities, as Chi-Chi was the tomboy and Goku a nurturer. Yet if one had asked Gohan who was stronger he'd have answered his father in a heartbeat, especially then in that moment. _'He always believes in me, I just-I really want him to hold me again, and to say he's proud or to tell one of his stories, again…'_

Their hands were mere millimeters apart, gentle smiles on their lips as their hands neared each other's, when the tender moment of father and son love was ripped apart. It was destroyed when Goku suddenly coughed up some blood, as Vegeta's foot sank into his gut, a savage smile of pure ecstasy on the prince's face as Goku's eyes stared up in utter shock.

Goku's hand trembled then fell, from Gohan's outstretched one. Vegeta snickered to himself at the pain on his enemy's face, "Being a good fiend is like being a good photographer. You have to wait for the right moment."

"G-G-Go-Go-Gohan," Goku croaked thoughts and heart still on his son, as he was then kicked away in disgust by Vegeta.

"Sorry, but father-son time is over, mwuhahahahahahahaha!" Vegeta spat as he cackled and delivered a few more solid kicks to Goku's broken side, the strangled screams that erupted from Goku's throat did little to quench his thirst for blood and pain in others, "Such moments, always did make me ill, guess the only medicine for it are your screams, Kakarot! Hwyahahahahahaha!"

"N-no," Gohan gasped in horror as he watched his father being tortured for the third time in his whole life, and this one was no easier than the previous ones. If anything it was harder, he thought because of their interrupted moment, "Daddy, nooo…" Goku screamed and howled some more, as his son burst into tears, unable to handle the sight of his hero being tortured and beaten to death.

"Noooo, stop," Gohan pleaded weakly, but Vegeta didn't hear him due to his own laughter, as he laughed to himself only for the prince to jump when Gohan still climbing to his feet suddenly shrieked at the top of his lungs, "I said STOOOOOP!"

"Huh?" Vegeta asked dumbfounded, as he turned to face Gohan, who was already in combat position and glaring at him.

"You heard me, so let's go," Gohan growled at him, hating him then for what he had done to his daddy, _'I won't ever forgive you! Ever! No one hurts my daddy and gets away with it, NO ONE!'_

"Sure kid, why not? I'm game," Vegeta retorted with a smirk as he turned around, to face the boy a smirk once again on his lips as he fell for Goku's latest gambit for victory.

Vegeta ceased his snickering when he saw the blue aura start glowing from around Gohan, signaling a change in the boy who fired a quick Masenko towards him, with the prince leaping into the air to dodge it hoping the blast would hit the father in a delicious piece of irony, but Gohan had better control than that, and the blast veered off into the heavens where it harmlessly sped for miles before it disintegrated into nothing.

_'Where did he go?'_ Vegeta barely had time to wonder this, as the boy had just disappeared from where he had previously been standing, only to let out a cry of pain as a small foot smashed into his chin sending him flying back. "That little punk!"

But Vegeta wasn't finished yet, as Gohan soon found out, when he moved to chase after the prince who righted himself in the air, whilst kicking Gohan in the forehead right where he had previously injured him, with the boy pulling back with a small moan of pain.

"Ku-Kril-Krillin," Goku called with all he had, fighting against the tempest of agony hovering over and within himself, but his thoughts as always were on his son and family, "Come here quick. Gohan will need our help."

Krillin nodded as best he could, his arm dangling between his squatted legs he began to step towards his best friend, hissing with pain every time his arm so much as brushed his knees as he clumsily clutched at it with his 'good' one (his left arm), and would also hiss whenever his upper body moved or his legs bent too much. Which was to say, he was hissing and gasping in pain from between gritted teeth, basically he was in pain the whole way there.

Up above them, Gohan fought on as best he could, parrying without thought and moving in as much a coordinated way as Piccolo had taught him, all the while trying to punch and kick back at Vegeta, mostly he aimed at the man's face. While he took a few hits, the thought of this monster actually getting his hands back on his daddy, enflamed and enraged him to new heights, as he began to without noticing it, the longer the duel went on, land more and take less hits from the arrogant prince before him.

Vegeta punched him away a few feet in the air, a smile of relief on his face as he did so, glad to simply have some space between them after what seemed an eternity, he barely noticed his own panting breath, "Well then, there's more to this kid than I thought."

"I'm sorry Goku," Krillin apologized as he came to a stop next Goku, covered in almost as much blood as his friend, as he squatted there, hating to disappoint his friend, yet unable to not do so given his current state, "But in my current condition I'm not sure if I can do much to help him, I wouldn't last a minute up there."

"R-right you don't have to fight," Goku said through bloodied lips, as he smiled a little at his friend touched that he'd still be thinking of defending Gohan though he was pretty much half-dead at the moment, "It's just a one-shot deal, come closer. I have some energy that I need to give you."

"No offense Goku, but you don't look like you have any energy to spare," Krillin told him in a shaky yet blunt voice.

"I know," Goku replied with a hint of amusement at the shakily delivered joke, showing he appreciated Krillin trying to bolster his spirits, their eyes bored into one another, seeing into one another's very souls, in a way only twins could do, and which these two born almost on the same day had long since developed almost fourteen years ago shortly after they first met. "But it's not mine, I gathered a bunch of energy earlier from the Earth, but I have a little. It should be enough to stop him, if you can hit him with it."

"Yeah, IF," Krillin grunted back doubtfully, luck hadn't been exactly on their side so far, from what he'd seen.

"Alright, let's do it, take my hand," Goku murmured back as he strived to raise his right hand to clasp Krillin's as best he could, _'No one I would rather count on for this, than you old buddy, I know you'll do better than I could have.'_

_'I doubt that, but I'll do my best to protect your son and to make you proud,'_ it was interesting how much they could tell about each other or convey without needing words to speak them, Krillin mused as he asked carefully one last time, "Are you sure I can handle it?"

"Yes, you have to!" Goku insisted a tad more forcefully to his friend.

"Well, let's hope you're right," The more cynical Krillin retorted with a continued hint of doubt and uncertainty in his voice, as he reached out to clasp the raised hand.

"Grab hold."

"Gotcha," And Goku restrained a loud cry of pain which came out in tears, a shudder and a loud groan, as Krillin winced in sympathy and guilt for having caused him pain, "Hey I don't feel anything Goku."

"You will," Goku assured him once the wave of pain had been swept away, for the most part that is, "Just give me a few seconds. Okay, now relax."

Goku knitted his brow together in concentration, as he hissed a little pulling the energy from where he'd gathered it within himself to protect it, while his friend started to gape in growing astonishment.

The assembled energy from all of nature's mightiest and smallest forces was more than what Krillin had suspected, it was enough to nearly bowl him over as he gaped at his semi-intact right hand in open wonder and shock.

"Oh, wow that's uh a lot of power!" Krillin breathed out only to stutter a bit when he rose a bit higher, "Hey, Goku what do I do with this thing?"

"First turn your palm up," Goku instructed at once, eyes half-closed his face covered in exhaustion then, but he didn't let up not until everything was finished, "Then use your willpower to concentrate the energy, and form it into a ball."

_'I'm winning again,' _Vegeta thought as he punched and kicked desperately, pushing and forcing Gohan further back not noticing the kid's eyes studying him, then the rest of him then his eye, or how the boy was predicting his moves based on where the older male was glancing at.

Gohan's eyes landed on one spot, one weak point the only place that he knew of outside the tail stump that was an actual wound; the right eye of his enemy, blocking one quick kick and two punches with his small arms, he zoomed in as fast as he could, after throwing off a left punch aimed to the right side of his face. His elbow, small, bony yet muscular landed square in Vegeta's closed eyelid. This was the art of the Demon School at its finest; cause a major wound, once that's done; locate it and worsen it. In this case, there was already a bleeding injury, so all that was left was to aggravate it.

This injury forced the grown man back as he clutched at his only sizeable wound in actual pain, not minor burn or bruise pain as he had injured up until now (save when losing a tail), but real pain as the injury was slightly worsened in his right eye.

His one good eye narrowed in rage, as he zoomed up a little, Gohan moved to follow only to jerk back in surprise as Vegeta moved faster than he could by balling up his two hands and smashing them down into Gohan's battered skull sending him crashing to the earth.

Gohan landed hard on his hands and knees, yet not as hard as he should have, as he had managed to mostly slow down his 'landing'.

"Clear your mind Krillin, don't try to force the energy," Goku advised his friend while his son was busy fighting off the villain away from them. "Just let it flow through you."

After years of Martial-Arts instruction and of following Goku's lead, Krillin had learned by now how to follow the orders of others without question especially if it meant pulling off a Martial-Arts move. Especially one that meant clearing one's mind after his own brush with Zen Buddhism and his continued passion for it, he could easily clear his normally preoccupied mind. Intelligent as he was, he closed his eyes and purged himself, he knew that this was difficult with one million and one worries but such techniques were necessarily peaceful in some ways, as he cleared himself of all doubts, of all beliefs, of all things.

The sphere took shape in his mind and heart before it did physically, and before he had even opened his eyes he knew that he had done it, meditation was meant to fill you with peace and better you, "Oh wow I did it! Wait, what did I do?"

"It's a Spirit Bomb, King Kai taught me how to create and use it," Goku explained.

As Gohan picked himself back up clutching at his bruised head with a small yelp and some minor tears of pain, Vegeta leaped forward, full of rage and hatred, "That kid hurt me!"

He just finished uttering this, when he arrived in front of Gohan, with his right fist already smacking across Gohan's face sending him off his feet and onto the ground with a groan.

"Listen you can do this, I know it, but you have to be very careful we only get one shot at this," Goku reminded his friend just as he sagged back a little, needing to conserve his energy.

"R-right, got it, promise I'll do my best." Krillin replied determinedly as he began to move, being careful with the delicate bomb in his hands as he did so, leaping up onto a nearby mountain to gain a better view and shot, he turned to face the ongoing 'battle'. "Alright, this should be a good vantage point."

"Hngrr, he's just way too strong, my dad couldn't beat him so, how can I? I'm just a kid," Gohan complained as he strove to climb to his feet, rubbing at his forehead.

_'It looks like this brat has almost used up all of his energy,'_ Vegeta mused with a triumphant sneer, he on the other hand still had plenty to spare, or so he believed well he did technically have enough to kill everyone present. _'Ha, he's mine.'_

* * *

"This is amazing," Roshi remarked as he stared at the face of Gohan in the orb, having never seen any child so powerful or so tenacious, in any battle. "Gohan's matching blow for blow with that alien monster!"

"Gohan's going to win, isn't he dad?" Chi-Chi proclaimed certain, as though the match were in no doubt and had been preordained from the very beginning in her son's favour. _'Finish him off, already Gohan! I know you can do it, do it for daddy and mommy, my baby!'_

"Well uh you know, it's possible," Ox-King stuttered hesitantly, he didn't know what to believe, it had been a rough day and from what he'd seen, it still looked as though the Saiyan menace was going strong, given the smirk on his lips, and so far for all that they had done to him, Earth's defender had been constantly startled by how much more powerful Vegeta was in comparison to them. "Honey, I can't say that for sure, but let's yell and cheer, it helps."

Roshi, Bulma, Launch and Oolong all picked up on this line of thought at once, eagerly following his advice though he kept his still hesitant eyes on his daughter, who though she appeared outwardly calm and certain, looked as though there was a hint of doubt in her eyes too.

"Hey, Chi-Chi?" He was just about to ask her if she was okay, when she started sobbing once more the strain of all the tumult of emotions of that day taking a strain on her, as she was normally a fierce woman who had never wept or cried all that much in front of anyone all her life, but this day had drawn too much out of everyone especially her. "There, there Chi-Chi."

"Look they're at it again," Oolong said hopefully, hoping to also comfort her as he pointed at them, he too felt sorry for her and could not help but feel a bit of despair, for if Chi-Chi was this strained things had to be at their all-time worsts.

And so they were, with the battle itself visible through the crystal ball. Gohan and Vegeta could be seen thanks to it, clashing, punching, kicking and head-butting one another, as energetically as ever before.

"They're moving so fast!" Bulma gasped/whined as both Gohan and Vegeta flew up, each one wanting the proverbial 'high ground' advantage as they glared hatefully at each other.

"What happened? They disappeared," Chi-Chi agreed only for her to turn her wrathful eyes upon poor Baba, as she grabbed her from the scruff of her robes, "You! Turn the ball over! Enhance the focus! Change the channel! Whatever it takes to get them back in sight, do you hear me you old woman?!"

"Ooooohhghghh, my aching back! What's gotten into you, put me down this instant!" Baba complained painfully, unable to believe how tough this young woman was, _'She must be stronger than my darn brother, or Goku when I first met him!'_

Chi-Chi seemed to react to her words, letting her go with an obviously regretful yet still desperately defiant face, proud of her passion for her family, even as Baba whined as she always did today, "You people are crazy, that's all there is to it! Alright now, let's see what we can do."

* * *

The two of them clashed along some mountains only to rise further up into the skies, with Vegeta upside down and firing a powerful yellow ki blast at the boy whose eyes bulged out and scrambled out of the way, onto a nearby mountain top, evading the blast.

"Grrrr," Gohan growled furiously, irritated by how strong his foe was and for that cheap shot, as he gathered his palms together over his head only to thrust them forward in the traditional gesture of his trademark ki-blast technique, "Masenkooo-haaaaaa!"

It fired off not like a pistol, as this time in rough comparison to the blast used against Nappa, it fired off like a cannon from a heavy battle-cruiser, more than a match for Vegeta's recently fired blast.

Vegeta didn't know this though, as he smirked to himself as he always seemed to over everything save, when he was hit or when things didn't go his way, "That trick again huh?"

He still dodged it though, Gohan looked a little put off then gritted his teeth, lined up for another shot, charged up his palms and fired yet again. "One more!"

Vegeta laughed as he dodged it once more, disappearing and re-appearing to the right, this time Gohan didn't need to spend three seconds searching for him, he had long since locked onto the full-blooded Saiyan, and fired off another Masenko with a roar.

Krillin watched as this little game went on, with Gohan fired five more shots and Vegeta dodging it each time. This was good in that it showed how powerful Gohan had become, yet he couldn't keep this up forever, and was also bad because it meant Krillin couldn't line a decent shot up.

"Ah, man how am I ever gonna hit him?" Krillin asked himself in frustration, "He's moving way too fast!"

"Don't use your eyes when throwing the Spirit Bomb," A voice suddenly said in his head making him wonder if he had finally cracked under the pressure, the voice went on speaking ignoring his mental confusion, "Feel it out, trust in your senses. You'll know when the moment is right."

Thinking the guy must be around there somewhere, or somewhere behind him, Krillin tried shouting out behind him, "Hey, who's there?!"

As he searched the whole area for the source of the voice that sounded as old, yet as strong as time itself, it went on, "I am the one who trained Goku, I taught him how to use the Spirit Bomb."

"Wow, it's King Kai."

"I did not expect this turn of events, but you are now in control of the Spirit Bomb," King Kai explained only to add to the horror of the hero, not realizing how much pressure he was putting on him, or maybe he simply forgot that Krillin wasn't Goku, and had less faith in himself than the confident and wise Goku did. "Remember, the bomb has the hope and faith of every person on Earth."

"The fate of the entire planet, is resting in my hands," Krillin breathed out, shocked and unsure of how to react as he imagined the various people, from all those he'd met, befriended, hated, loved and the planet itself.

By now, Gohan was trembling out of exhaustion and fear, he had done his best, he had thrown all that he had at this monster, and it was still not enough, still wasn't enough, as Vegeta stood as strong and cocky as ever, if anything he'd begun to recover some of his energy despite the eye injury and the loss of his tail.

"Hahahahaha, I've got to hand it to you, your strength is surprising," Vegeta remarked almost casually, as he walked almost leisurely towards the boy, nodding to himself in confirmation, "Yes, you should be proud, you fought well but unfortunately for you it wasn't enough."

Exhausted as he was, beaten as he was and frightened as he was, Gohan didn't back away, pulled back his right leg to far behind him in a gesture Vegeta mistook for a sign of retreat or fear, but was merely part of the Martial-Arts kata, the fourth that Piccolo had taught him. He would die if he had to, his father's son. As the only child of Goku and Chi-Chi, two of Earth's greatest warriors and Martial-Artists in history, Gohan refused to die backing down, or running away as he glared back, and though his body shook his fists didn't and neither did his eyes waver from those of Vegeta.

_'Oh, man he's got his back turned maybe I should throw it now,'_ Krillin mused to himself uncertainly, as he did have a decent shot lined up, _'No, King Kai said I'd know when the moment was right.'_

"It's time to put an end to this," Vegeta declared with a glower, as he powered up his palms in his trademark technique and strategy; put everything in several dozens of ki-blasts then fire them all and hope for the best.

Gohan screamed as he leaped out of the way of the first two which exploded on contact with the ground, rolled out of the way of another four, was thrown forward by the backlash of explosive energy, and cried out once more. He prayed the stream of blasts would end soon, but his hopes were dashed a second later as approximately forty to maybe fifty, no Gohan could feel it, almost eighty blasts were shot, thankfully Vegeta had piss-poor aim, he discovered as all the blasts fell short of the mark and landed in the same approximate areas, as smoke was kicked up, shielding Gohan from view as he went on to back up and up and up, just a little ahead of each of the latter blasts, eyes bulging out as he cried out a little in nervousness at how close some of them were to him.

"You can't run forever!" Vegeta shouted as the dust cleared and he realized his target was narrowly avoiding his attacks, so he redoubled his efforts only to kick up more smoke which started the whole sad process all over again.

_'Damn, Gohan's in trouble I can't throw it yet, not yet,'_ Krillin cursed as he concentrated praying that Gohan could hold out for just a bit longer, as he lined up his shot, he needed to do this just right, maybe then they'd be free of this monster.

Fortune though, continued to show how much she despised the heroes, when some of the blasts hit dead on, with Gohan thrown against a nearby mountain, and buried under rubble, with Goku gritting his teeth to keep from screaming in emotional pain, fearful for his son's safety even as Krillin prepared and held firm on the shot that could change the fate of the planet.

_'Krillin you idiot,'_ Yajirobe thought as he glowered at Krillin, not understanding why he didn't just throw the Spirit Bomb, he also didn't understand what he was waiting for, and not seeing the larger picture (a perpetual problem of his), _'That's some nice energy you got there, you might as well shout 'here I am'. Doesn't anyone know how to sneak around?'_

With a groan Gohan pulled himself out from under the debris of fallen rocks, not aware of Vegeta rushing towards him at full speed, only becoming aware of him a second later as he coughed and panted for more air, having nearly suffocated to death.

"I hope you're watching this Kakarot," Vegeta shouted breathlessly as he guffawed in sadistic glee, while running, "Get a good look, because it's the last time you're ever going to see your son!"

"That's it!" Krillin crowed, now was the time to fire the Spirit Bomb, it was now time to put an end to Vegeta, to blast him and liberate Earth from the Saiyan oppression and menace forever.

But once again luck didn't favour the heroes, as Yajirobe proved how foolish he could be then, by screaming at the top of his lungs at Krillin, "Krillin what are you waiting for? You dope, just throw the darn thing will ya?"

"Huh?" Vegeta murmured having heard him, came to a stop a few feet away from Gohan.

"Yajirobe you idiot! Here goes nothing!" Krillin yelled as he tossed the Spirit Bomb, cursing Yajirobe, cursing him for his stupidity, for his inability to see what he had just done; tip Vegeta off about the Spirit Bomb, and forcing the diminutive human to fire the bomb prematurely.

Vegeta and Gohan both gaped at the incoming tiny ball of blue and white light, as it raced faster than light towards the two of them, it was hard to say who was more surprised.

"What is that thing?" Vegeta asked hoping one of the humans might hurriedly explain what it was to him.

"C'mon hiiiiit!" Krillin shouted in a rather loud prayer, for a moment it looked as though it would do just that, but bad luck seemed to be a perpetual problem for the Earthlings, when Vegeta leaped over the incoming Spirit-Bomb, causing Krillin to immediately curse, "Damn, I missed him!" _'Damn you to hell Yajirobe!'_

* * *

The crystal ball shattered into a thousand pieces before everyone, with Baba screaming in horror as everyone gasped.

"NOooooooo, my crystal ball! Uooohhh," And there nearly went Baba, almost going the same route as Puar, Launch and Chi-Chi, but she caught herself but just barely.

"But, Gohan!" Chi-Chi worried, looking almost blue in the face with terror for her poor infant.

"Great! I come here to help, and look what happens," Baba shrieked in a rage, as she waved her hands at the ball, only to clasp all the pieces together only to growl over at Roshi, "Roshi, you don't have any of that turbo-glue do you?"

"Turbo-glue? Wait, I must have something you could use," Roshi replied vaguely, as he turned around to go see if he did have what his sister needed.

Chi-Chi sagged forward, leaning onto her hands as tears fell like raindrops from her face, "What about my Gohan?" She then latched onto Baba once more, with more desperation than ever before, "Isn't there anything you can do, Baba? Don't you have a spare crystal ball or something?"

"Chi-Chi, stop that!" Ox-King yelped desperately, his voice rising a little in desperation, as heart-broken by her pain as he was by the possible loss of his grandchild, yet aware that there was nothing Baba could do, something which the hysterical and shattered Chi-Chi would normally notice yet didn't then.

"But daddy…!" Chi-Chi argued weakly, too tired and worn to argue properly, or even to fight anyone anymore, yet her concern for her family had reached a fever-pitch. "But Gohan's still out there, and so is Goku!"

"I know that, but there is nothing we can do to help them dear," Ox-King reasoned, a fresh set of tears in his own eyes, as he pleaded with her.

"Well, in that case I guess we'll have to go to them," Bulma suggested with a grin, under the circumstances, it was either that or just simply continue to tear themselves apart in their frantic, hysterical concern for those still out on the battle-field.

Chi-Chi cheered immediately at this idea, only to immediately think of one major issue; sure they could all try to get there separately, but she didn't have a portable plane, she was fairly sure Bulma and Launch's were both too small, "But how will we get there?"

"In my new air-boat," Bulma explained proud of her new invention, it was faster, more durable and capable of carrying more people than any of her previous air-ships or planes.

"Great idea, Bulma!" Chi-Chi praised her, grasping her hands happily.

"Thanks, and at least it's better than sitting here doing nothing."

"Alright, I got some glue," Roshi muttered having just arrived from out back, with a tube of glue he hadn't had need of in years, almost a decade and a half, not since Goku and Krillin had scrapped and shattered half of his heirlooms and possessions, only for Launch to destroy more things with her rifles.

"But is it turbo-glue?" Asked a new voice, interrupting the early celebrations and cheers of everyone gathered, everyone turned in shock to stare at the cat with a wooden cane, standing on Roshi's doorstep, just past the open door, with a grin on his lips.

"It's-it's Korin!" Baba and Roshi cried out in alarm, neither of them having ever heard of the great master ever leaving his tower.

Korin nodded his head shortly at them, amused and pleased despite his own weariness of the day, a few minutes later everyone shoved, bundled and otherwise charged into the airship, with both Chi-Chi and Launch insisting on bringing guns, Ox-King in all but tears over this, and Roshi wearily insisting that he's going to need to tear down and rebuild his home again, anything to be rid of firearms (he had never approved of them being brought into his house).

"Good thing my sis decided not to come, else we'd never have enough space," Roshi remarked relieved, for as much as he loved his sister, she had had quite the day, and wasn't known for her self-restraint or temper on the very best of days.

"Well, I'm just glad I don't have to sit next to that pig Oolong, he can be such a coward, ugh," Bulma complained also, as ever she had an axe to grind with the poor pig.

* * *

"Goku, try a rebound shot!" King Kai screamed in Goku's head, now inducing a migraine in his head, as the wise old man reacted in a panic, almost as worried for the poor frozen Gohan, as Goku or Krillin were.

Goku had never truly tapped this, it was all he could do and it was something that he had only done with Chi-Chi once, when they were younger a year after their marriage, shortly after a new menace had arisen and was put down by Goku and Piccolo. He had only guessed what had happened after Chi-Chi told him, with Goku not sure it would work with Gohan, but hopeful that it would.

_'Gohan, this is dad, can you hear me? Bounce the Spirit Bomb away,'_ Goku said to the boy telepathically, not sure if he'd hear but it was the only thing he could do, and somehow certain it would, though he couldn't say how. It was as though, someone had done this to him too, spoken to him when he was young though he wasn't sure who, or when, or why, maybe it was Grandpa Gohan but he wasn't sure about that, all he knew was that he could sometimes feel Chi-Chi in his mind, and now he could almost feel his son. _'That ball won't hurt you if there's no evil in your heart, you have to bounce it back.'_

Gohan started in surprise, startled by the voice of his father who had closed his own eyes to focus, with the boy confused by this sudden mental conversation between them. Though Gohan didn't react with as much surprise as an adult would, entirely due to his young age and the strong tie between him and his father, his hero. He knew that if it was his daddy's voice, it could never lie, could never deceive or hurt him, as he could feel the underlying warmth and love behind it, which further reinforced his faith in his father.

Still though, the ball was boiling with more power than Gohan expected as it froze him where he was, with just its aura though he felt more than that, closing his eyes he raised his arms hurriedly in a panic of fear and uncertainty.

Though his fear and uncertainty was nowhere near as great as that which Vegeta soon felt, with the Bomb bouncing right off the air in front of Gohan's tiny hands and headed straight away from him and onto a new target; Vegeta.

The prince gasped and stared at the incoming bomb, confused by how it had suddenly changed trajectories and was headed straight for him, only to hit dead-on, detonate in a huge explosion of light which carried Vegeta upwards like a heaven-bound missile, "No!"

It was some time before anyone reacted, as everyone soon breathed a sigh of relief, Yajirobe sagged onto his back, nearly sobbing, Gohan relaxed into a seated position, with Goku closing his eyes all but dozing now, Krillin stared up at the heavens hoping there'd be no corpse, he never wanted to see the Saiyan again, with Callion praying in turn for a corpse, so that she could kick it around, as she sagged onto her chest again, eyes closing in weariness like with Goku and Yajirobe.

Gohan hurried over after a few minutes, only to slow down to a slow walk with his arms raised hoping for a hug, only to suddenly remember that every single one of his dad's bones were broken. He sagged to the ground, partly to stare him in the face and partly out of disappointment.

"D-dad are you going to be okay?" He asked hopefully, certain though his voice trembled that his much-admired father was going to recover from his heavy injuries.

"Y-yeah, but I'll probably be sore for awhile," Goku commented wryly, wrinkling his nose in amusement as he grinned up at his son, who chortled weakly at his attempt at humour.

"Well, I gotta admit I have seen you look better," Krillin retorted with equal levity in a tight voice that failed to hide his own broken bones and injuries.

"Hehe, maybe so but it could be a lot worse," Goku replied hoping to be optimistic.

"Yeah, you could be that alien," Krillin pointed out with a smirk, causing the three of them all to start chuckling weakly. He then asked in confusion at a silent, then slightly more hissing level, then louder until it was a screeching whistling noise, "What in the world?"

It was Vegeta, crashing down from the heavens, having ridden out the Spirit Bomb only to lose consciousness for a few seconds and then to come crashing down to the earth, with a loud crash which made everyone jump in alarm.

"No, it can't," Gohan whispered in shock, as he stared at where Vegeta had fallen, certain that he could still sense a bit of life coming out of him.

"Hey, maybe now he's harmless," Krillin suggested optimistically, hoping that the Saiyan was dead, unaware of how far off the mark he was.

"Now, I can claim my prize," Yajirobe commented, in the distance, _'his head would be a nice prize to put by the sea, after-all it's the least he deserves, before I leave this damnable island.'_

"He looks pretty dead to me," Krillin noted as he examined the corpse, stepping forward to study the other man with a weariness he had almost never felt before in his life, "I guess that blast really did him in, good thing because he was rotten to the core. At least now we won't have to look at his ugly face, anymore."

"Who's face is ugly?" Vegeta barked back, insulted and angered by this insult to what he considered the finest face in the universe (it was far from being any such thing, according to all those concerned).

_'How is he still alive?'_ Callion had asked, she had seen everything, and had been just as relieved, though she had begun to consider napping, or maybe just calling forth her ship, for a silent getaway from this desolate rock, only to be interrupted by the sound of the Saiyan, she had only crept closer from around the rock to study the Earthlings, and to ensure they wouldn't be able to follow her.

Everyone screamed, jerked back with Yajirobe running for cover further away, Gohan gaping, even Goku shouted in alarm, as he stared at the Saiyan prince, while Callion cursed loudly.

"I suppose you think you're very clever, don't you?" Vegeta panted out, as he sat up quickly, demonstrating how he was mostly undamaged from the best attack they could have possibly launched at him, if anything he sounded more winded than anything, as he sat up, then climbed up to his feet, as confident and unfazed as almost ever, just a slight wince came from him. "Well here's a piece of advice; if you're going to shoot someone in the back, make sure to finish them off."

Vegeta continued to lecture them and chew their ears off as he stood at full height, a smirk on his lips, as he spoke, "It's going to be my greatest pleasure wiping out you and your worthless friends off the face of this pathetic planet."

With all his might then, rather than give the enemy a chance to strike, he reacted with uncharacteristic speed and decisiveness as he struck Krillin to the ground with all his might, with the back of his hand. With Krillin clinging to his injured cheekbone as Vegeta continued to chatter needlessly, "How does it feel, knowing that you had one chance to save your precious 'Earth' and everyone on it, only to fail miserably? Muwha, mwuhahahahahaha!"

With Krillin out of the way, crumpled and defeated, fighting to get up only to be kicked out of the way and through a boulder by Vegeta, who began to advance slowly towards the shaking, and gaping Gohan, who was certain this man must be a demon or a monster pulled from some dark myths or dimension or something, or the reborn Garlic Jr. so unkillable was he.

"I'm done toying with all of you," Vegeta declared as he stepped towards Gohan and Goku, enjoying the boy's fear and though he spoke of acting decisively, he did no such thing, nor did he hurry towards it. "I'm going to do now, what I should have done from the very beginning. I'm going to blast all you insolent pests into oblivion."

"Run, Go... han…" Goku pleaded with his son, barely able to breath then let alone speak, yet still hoping that if anyone could survive, it would be his boy, it was his duty as a father, he had to try to help Gohan if nothing else. "Ruunn!"

"G-Goku," Krillin whispered lips covered in blood, as he pulled himself up, unwilling to give up on his friends, if Goku was to die to give Gohan a chance to escape, so would he, they would die together, protecting Gohan if need be.

Vegeta's legs stiffened, his arms struck together then moved outwardly over his head as he slowly gathered his remaining energy for one last Big Bang Attack, to wipe out all of his enemies, with Krillin gaping on his knees at it, Goku gritting his teeth as he prayed for Gohan's survival, Gohan gaped at it, Callion gritted her teeth and fought to try and move only to fail, she even tried to look up in time at the sphere of light in the heavens but it was too late, while the mountain Yajirobe was hiding behind suffered to the backlash of the heat and force of the explosion of the attack, with the tubby man thrown forward safe of the blast.

The trouble was, that as might as the blast was, the winds struck first, with the heat and power striking them but a little, as Krillin, Gohan, Goku and Callion were soon thrown clear of the worst of it, even as they endured the outer layer of the explosion gritting their teeth against the pain. They were thrown through boulders and mountains which were soon ripped to shreds too, with the warriors gasping and hissing in agony as they went.

Vegeta looked around, panting and shaking from the amount of energy he had just utilized, only to notice and realize that all of his would-be victims had survived his powerful blast, "How-how could I be reduced to this? I don't have enough energy to charge up another attack, they're still alive!"

To the left of his current position, Goku and Krillin lay unconscious, just behind him where Callion had fallen, she was clearly out once more, while Goku's child lay before him on his chest on a nearby boulder, out like a light.

He took flight, growling and panting in exhaustion, having never been so weary in his entire life as he had never struggled before, against any worthy enemies who could challenge him, whilst avoiding clashing with the likes of Dodoria and Zarbon out of fear, "That last attack of theirs, must have damaged me more than I thought."

He was actually right and wrong, as it was also due to his own efforts though he wished to do no such thing, as it would be to acknowledge that he could possibly ever be wrong; he had used up all of his energy over the course of this battle, the loss of a tail frequently tired out a Saiyan and took considerable energy from them initially (though they had the Growth Hormone that kicked in and gave a huge power boost), therefore it was a combination of factors that had brought the 'great' prince to such a low point.

Vegeta shuddered in pain, from his eye and from some of the wounds he had suffered to that last blast which had nonetheless still damaged him to a point, "I need to end this."

It was as he approached the youngest of his enemies, certain that a child would be the easiest to manage, what with how he always targeted the weak instead of the strong, only to then notice one detail he didn't think half-Saiyans got.

"A tail? He-he has a t-tail!" He screamed in horror, as he stared and gaped for a few minutes at the appendage sticking out of a hole in the back of Gohan's gi (caused by Vegeta's own blast ironically). He froze in fear, shaking and crying out, his yelps awoke Krillin who struggled to sit up, one eye squeezed shut as he glanced over.

"Uh-yeah his tail," Krillin whispered from a weak and tight throat, dry and sparse from the battle and the exhaustion that held him in its merciless grip, "I forgot about that, it must have grown back."

Vegeta by now had overcome his terror long enough to grasp the boy's tail, then remembered one little detail, that while it had been some time since it had been thrown into the heavens, there was still one glaring problem that stood between him and victory, as he glanced up at the sphere in the heavens in mortal terror, "The blutzwaves! I can't allow this lowly brat to transform, I can't!"

"Gohan's tail, I forgot about that," Krillin said with a shudder, it was an easy mistake given how distracted he was by the worst fight of his entire life up until this point. "Like Goku's used to do, it must have grown back."

_'But usually it took weeks to months, Gohan must have been hiding it,'_ Krillin thought to himself, as he gaped only to shudder in pain a second later, as he stared at Gohan's tail.

"I can't allow this brat to transform, not today," Vegeta said to himself, raising his right arm to charge it up, in preparation to kill the unconscious and helpless Gohan.

"Leave him alone!" Yajirobe yelled as he leaped forth from out of nowhere or so it seemed to the distracted, panic-stricken Vegeta, as Yajirobe at long last took a stand, outraged now too by Vegeta's eagerness to kill a defenceless child.

The swipe he took at Vegeta was a blind one, as Yajirobe had closed his eyes out of fear, and therefore where it had originally been meant to chop off one of Vegeta's arms, it instead sliced through the armour on the back of the alien. "You-you sliced through my armour!"

The cry erupted from Vegeta as he grasped at his back, in shock and striving to provide solace to his injury only to fail, he then screamed in pain and fell forward, passing out from the shock for a few seconds so startled and upset was he by the fact that Yajirobe's blade had punched straight through his 'superior' armour.

Yajirobe on the otherhand blinked, blinked again then a slow grin climbed up onto his face as he then climbed up to his feet with his arms in the air in triumph, "Uh-yeah! Oh yeah, took him down! You should learn not to mess with the best, you can't handle it-huh?"

But Vegeta wasn't finished, as he regained consciousness the shock over, as he pushed himself back onto his feet, enraged at the fat warrior, whom he glared silent death at, or as silently as the big-mouth prince possibly could ever be, "What was that tubby?"

"Wa-wait a minute," Yajirobe begged, only to try taking a half-a-dozen swipes with his katana at the other warrior, who panting clung to his bruised shoulder, panting out of fatigue as Yajirobe backed up as he attacked, only to toss away his katana and to raise his hands in a placating gesture, "Hey, I was just kidding about the whole dirt-bag thing, you really thought I was trying to hurt you? I was just messing around a little!"

He was interrupted then by Vegeta's fist to his face, for the prince had no patience for those who could talk almost as much as him, or well anything at all, and given that he was now having a mildly bad day, he decided to put an end to Yajirobe's chatter.

In his indecision, and easily distracted ways, Vegeta had by now forgotten about the most important thing, the one thing that could still challenge and defeat him, as he followed after the fallen Yajirobe who had been sent tumbling back against one rock, then onto the ground, clutching at his face, "No w-wait, listen I don't think you understand…"

He was interrupted by another punch to the face, as Vegeta sent him through a boulder, only to land upside down on his head, barely conscious just as the sadistic prince foolishly followed him there quick as a flash as he began to lay down dozens of punches slowly onto his face.

"Ya-Yajirobe," Krillin called only to lose consciousness, unable to endure the pain and torture he had endured up until this point any long.

_'Gohan,'_ Goku called with his mind, deciding to try the telepathy once again, it was his last chance at saving Gohan and finally defeating Vegeta, _'Gohan, can you hear me? Go-Gohan…!?' _The last bit was spoken telepathically more frantically than Goku had ever spoken to anyone in his entire life, as he suddenly feared the worst for his only child, gripped by terror for his son.

Gohan shook himself awake, grunting and groaning as he woke up, "Uh, hello?"

This was followed by Gohan trying to get down, and over to his dad, only to fall and hit his head on the way down, only to end up on his back with a whimper and a groan of pain.

"Unnngggrrraan," Callion groaned as she shook herself away, bleeding and groaning she shook opening one eye to gaze forward, half-buried under rocks she couldn't move and couldn't do anything other than moan in pain, _'Damn, this is worse than the time I pissed off Dodoria that one time, when was it? After Alteria? No, must have been after Zeldraan, ugh I hated those toad people, owwww. Now where, is that worthless prince? Wait, does the kid have a-oh shit.'_

She had noticed the tail, but was unaware that Goku was in the midst of awakening all of her worst fears, as unlike her he was certain that they were at the end of their rope, as he once again addressed his son telepathically, _'Listen to me.'_

"Wha-what daddy?" Gohan mumbled back, exhausted and unable to move because of the aforementioned feeling.

_'Look at the ball in the sky Gohan,'_ Goku instructed weakly, as tired if not more so than the small boy.

So tired, so weak and battered was Gohan that he whimpered for comfort, still just a five-years old he wanted to be pampered and spoiled by his usually happy and comforting daddy, who tended to over-coddle him, "But I don't understand, where are you daddy?"

_'I'm not far away, but I need your help. You can help me by staring up at the bright light in the sky,'_ Goku willed to him, having noticed right before Callion did the tail that had re-grown on his son's back, _'That's it Gohan, don't turn away from it.'_

It was almost five minutes since Vegeta had forgotten all about Gohan, only to now suddenly jerk up as he remembered that little detail in his eagerness to beat up Yajirobe, "Wait! The boy's tail!"

_'I've got enough for one last attack, but I can't move no more, which means… Nappa's, ugh how I hate this attack, so uncouth and it leaves a plenty bad taste in the mouth, so that I'll need a mint later,'_ Callion thought as she groaned, staring at Gohan, shivering in horror suddenly aware of what was to come, yet unable to move almost even her head so exhausted and battered was she. She had one shot, and could only shoot it in one direction, which meant it was almost useless, to be used only against Vegeta or Gohan's tail. _'Ugh, I hate my luck.'_

"I've got to stop him!" Vegeta screamed as he leaped towards Gohan, foot first in order to strike at his chest, yet the process of transformation was already started as Gohan's chest grew and tore apart the gi covering his muscular yet tiny chest. "It's too late-AUGH!"

This cry was the rest of Callion deciding rapidly between the choices of dying to Vegeta or Gohan, and selected the latter, it was at least more dignified to die to a giant ape than the man she hated the most in the universe. The mouth blast erupted like a cannon yes, but compared to what it would have been before she had been injured, it was nothing and did little more than aggravate Vegeta's back injury, as he stumbled forward.

"And that was my last shot," She grunted glaring at him, "Get away from the kid…"

"Uunnnggrrrrrr, DIE!" Vegeta roared as he pointed two fingers at her, a blast shot from his fingers to her bewilderment, as she had time enough to wonder just how much energy he had in total, the blast punched straight through her right shoulder and throwing her through the boulder behind her.

"Aaaaghhhhh!" She groaned, as blood gushed forth from her injury, in pain and shock.

"Damn her, I don't need her distracting me right-right the boy!" Vegeta suddenly remembered as he turned back to the child, swearing that once he was done with him, Callion would be next. _'How has she survived my last Big Bang Attack? She should only have a power-level of 600!'_

Gohan whimpered and moaned as his bones re-knitted themselves, his body spasming up and down as it repaired itself, and expanded in preparation for the monstrous transformation overtaking him.

"No! Stop changing!" Vegeta screamed fearfully, as he allowed panic to overtake him, as he rained down several punches upon Gohan hoping to beat the transformation out of him or something, as he conveniently forgot for the moment all about the detail of ripping off a Saiyan's tail canceling out their horrendous transformation. "No! Stop it! I have to stop him from turning into a giant ape!"

He went on punching the boy/ape, as he transformed, expanded and gained in weight, knocking over the recent boulders and beginning to roar instead of moan or groan, as fur grew all over his boder in place of hair.

_'Yes, you can do it,'_ Goku thought to his son, praying that this didn't backfire on them, at least not too badly.

Krillin regained consciousness meanwhile, shuddering and shivering from the pain he was in, as he opened his eyes only to find himself look over at the transforming Gohan and the frantic, hysterical Vegeta. "Gohan, he's changing. That big orb made him transform."

"His tail, I gotta cut his tail," Vegeta suddenly realized with a start remembering that the tail was causing the boy to change into an ape, "I have to cut it off before he goes completely berserk! Right now!"

He leaped over Gohan's expanded thigh, and in front of the tail, to try and pull it off, miscalculating Gohan's strengthened sinews and muscles, and underestimating his own fatigue. Still though, he managed to pull hard enough for it to really, really, really hurt the boy-ape as the ape reacted with pure rage on a purely instinctual level, raising one gargantuan fist and punching down upon Vegeta's skull knocking him forward and off his feet.

The giant ape rose to its humongous feet, a roar pulled from its thick lips as it roared to the heavens, while Vegeta stared up in terror at this monstrous creature, which had even more power than even him at full power. He then began to scurry away, crawling as he did so as he prayed it wouldn't notice him, while it smashed the mountains nearest to it to itty-bitty pieces.

"Go-Gohan," Goku whimpered as he rolled over onto his back, it had taken all of his strength to do something as simple as that, it was monstrous, worst than he had thought it could be, yet he knew there had to be something of his baby in there, something of pure good and Gohan in there somewhere, _'Is this how Grandpa felt? No, this has to be different, Gohan I know you're in there, you're stronger than I was. I won't give up on you!'_

"He's-he's out of control, just a blind, raging beast now!" Krillin groaned having finally managed to get back onto his hands and cut knees, his left arm crying out in agony while he ignored it then. "It's just like when Goku used to change. Doesn't remember anything, as long as he's like that, he's just as dangerous as Vegeta." He then tried to plead as he screamed, while shielding his face from the rocks with his one good arm, "Gohan stop it! Man, I just gotta think of some way to get through to him! When Goku was in his transformed state, he didn't recognize any of us."

"Somebody… somebody please help me…!" Yajirobe pleaded brokenly, beaten and bruised yet directly behind the giant ape, unable to move as he understandably succumbed to fear.

"G-Gohan wait, we're-we're your friends!" Krillin hollered in a raspy voice, just as Gohan had picked up a huge mountain-sized boulder in both hands, a roar of pure rage his only answer to the cue-ball's pleas and the swordsman's whimpers.

_'Gohan stop!'_ Goku called out mentally to his boy, though he couldn't see it through his squeezed shut eyes, the giant ape froze, recognising the voice as it did so. "N-no, Gohaaaannnn!"

The ape began to tremble, unable to move or resist the voice that it had seemed to have forgotten then suddenly remembered. Full of more love than hatred or any pitiful Saiyan gene could ever dominate, Gohan trembled as he recognized the voice of one of the two most important people in his life.

"Wh-what happened?" Yajirobe gasped in confusion, finally starting to feel hope once more against all odds.

"Hey! Gohan, g-get the other guy!" Krillin screeched in terror, not quite as hopeful as Yajirobe, but hoping despite his own cynicism towards the possibility of one of these apes being reasonable. "HURRY! He's getting AWAY!"

"Hey, don't get him excited!" Yajirobe shouted in a panic, worried over the worst and unwilling to risk it on a mad giant ape.

But the rage had subsided, or so it seemed as the giant ape turned around, searching for something or someone, only for its eyes to settle upon the now standing figure of Vegeta with a series of grunts and growls the whole way, as it searched for him, as the prince gasped and gaped in terror and shock.

With a glance behind him at the mountain there, Vegeta gasped out, "I'm-I'm trapped!"

While the prince took two steps back, slow ones in preparation to flee Goku got impatient, and called out to his son hoping to incite that infamous giant ape battle rage, now that it was concentrated upon the enemy, "NOW!"

"I'm glad, I'm not him," Yajirobe mumbled as Gohan roared with pure rage and hatred, as Vegeta cried out in fear, a sentiment the human could well-understand though he felt no compassion, the Saiyan had after all brought it upon himself.

"Gohan, smash that guy now!" Krillin screamed, elaborating on Goku's instructions, as he had also just to say begun to reach the part of Gohan that was still within the monster.

Vegeta barely managed to stumble and throw himself out of the way of the giant boulder that was suddenly smashed onto the ground, by the enraged monster above him, he landed on his left shoulder hard, with a short gasp of relief. Said relief was short-lived, with the monster unwilling to give him so much as a single moment of reprieve.

A beast of destruction, it could not think but it could only destroy, for it to focus and home in on only one target was little short of a miracle, especially for a five years old (this had never been done in all of history).

Realizing what this meant, and guessing as he had been involved in Chi-Chi and Goku's chat about their unusual bond, Krillin hypothesized then, "S-somehow, Goku must have reached Gohan telepathically. Finish him Gohan, it's all up to you now."

Gohan raged, smashed and kicked at his foe stomping away at him, as Vegeta cried out, stumbled forward and with a growl realized then as he was sent flying forward, only to gasp and groan, the boy had further bruised his arm, specifically his shoulder, as he stumbled away as best he could from his enemy. The bruising of his shoulder alarmed and startled him, as he had never expected or experienced this before (he had recently been acquainted with far more severe pain, but as he was prone to not understanding how to manage it, he believed it broken and let it drag, though it was merely cut and bruised to the bone), behind him Gohan smashed over the mountains and boulders that Vegeta had tripped and stumbled around.

"Th-that moon is going to shine for another hour, so there's no way I could keep outrunning him," Vegeta concluded forgetting that the orb only lasted an hour, and as he didn't have his scouter he couldn't have known that with all his toying and chattering, he had passed the majority of the time the 'moon' was supposed to be 'alive' for. In reality, he had only approximately five minutes left. "I'm going to have to cut off that tail!"

Bouncing from side to side, as the monster smashed at where he was, then leaping up onto a nearby pillar that was part of the mountain he had been backed up against, Vegeta used it for momentum, as he flew forward towards Gohan, only to dodge a swiping arm to kick the beast in the face between the eyes, drawing out a howl of pain from it.

He slid down the back of the beast, only to go to beat his fists futilely against the tail on Gohan's back once more, only for the animal to catch onto what he was aiming to do, and to suddenly whip around and swipe at him with a side-ways left fist, which missed due to the prince's incredible speed.

"Wow, he's really tough," Yajirobe commented impressed, if it was him out there he wouldn't have lasted this long.

"This guy's insane! Can anybody stop him?" Krillin spluttered out, not making sense even though in his head it did, this guy was insanely strong, how tough could he be to take on a giant-ape, _'Did we ever stand a chance physically? Damn, if he wasn't so dumb, we'd have been dead a long time ago!'_

Once again Vegeta charged, this time though he didn't fly past the arm, so much as he raced along the jutted-out fist of the monster, then as it tried to grab at him with its other one he leaped forward, determined to land another punch on Gohan's head, only for the giant monster to get a flash of an idea, whipping around suddenly just as Vegeta leaped and swiping him away with his giant tail, drawing a cry of pain from Vegeta.

The Saiyan warrior crashed into the side of the mountain, with a short gasp, only to tremble glance up at the giant ape, which had already raised his giant left foot to smash at him, only for him to leap away in the nick of time as the foot came down demolishing the whole mountain and cliff apart.

The ape located Vegeta a heartbeat later after glancing around in search of him, with Vegeta resting on the side of another cliff, having needed to catch his breath, only to gasp as Gohan leaped towards him. The Saiyan prince then began to try and slow it down in a blind panic, by blasting hundreds of tiny ki-blasts that did more to exhaust the last of Vegeta's energy than it did to harm Gohan. A second later, he stopped panting in exhaustion as he stared up, certain that he had killed Gohan, forgetting that 5,000 times 10 equals 50,000.

Vegeta was certain that he had finally finished off the beast, only for suddenly out of what seemed nowhere to him, but was really from the cloud of smoke he had kicked up, the monstrous apish form of the beast 'flew' out of the smoke and straight down at him. Vegeta flew away, with Gohan crashing to the ground and immediately following after him with another gigantic leap.

"O-okay fur-ball," Vegeta ground out from between his teeth, summoning up the last of his energy in order to make one last ki-blast, slightly sharper though not by much, of an ordinary ki-blast similar to what he had dished out against Callion. "Take thiiiiiiis!"

There was just one minor miscalculation on Vegeta's part, not a major one, not one worth judging too harshly over though something Goku had studied and would have loved to remind him; what goes up must go down. As Gohan began to bear down, Vegeta looked around, making yet another mistake; he spent more time looking around and chattering to himself as he always did rather than spending his breath and energy on getting away.

"I don't think I can get around him!" Vegeta screeched as the boy crashed into him, dragged down by the ape which was beginning to shrink.

There was a loud crash as Gohan crushed Vegeta underneath him, only for Vegeta to shove the boy away from him, with the dozing child thrown aside, Vegeta gritted his teeth, he was too tired, too used up in terms of energy and ki to continue fighting and so he swiftly pulled out of his armour, with his right-hand the command remote for his pod, every commanding officer had one.

So Vegeta could control and detonate Nappa and Callion's pods at any time, it was Nappa the fool who had always persuaded him to never do such a thing to Radditz or Callion, Vegeta mused, now at least the old piece of filth had paid for his hubris in disagreeing with his prince.

"Hey, what's happening?" Yajirobe asked Krillin, too exhausted and beaten to move (his pain tolerance was much greater than Vegeta's though nowhere near Krillin or Goku's). "Gohan beat him?"

Hearing Vegeta groan and reach for the switch inside of his armour only to click a button, Krillin grumbled, "Spoke too soon."

The Saiyan prince though called forth his suit, only to toss the remote no longer needing it as he forgot how useful it could be or how it could be used to damage Callion's chances of survival.

"What is that thing doing?" Krillin asked with a dark feeling in the bottom of his gut as he stared as the pod floated down towards Vegeta, who smirked to himself.

"It's here," Vegeta breathed in relief, as he began to drag himself towards it, his legs bruised and broken beneath him, unlike his arms as he crawled towards it, "Those fools, they haven't seen the last of me. I am Vegeta, the strongest Saiyan in the universe, I am invincible!"

While this was going on, Krillin had pulled himself off of the mountain he was on, crashing to the ground with a yelp, and a groan of agony, as he was not supposed to be on his feet, yet there he was limping towards the other man, "It must be his spaceship, I've got to stop him."

"Almost there," Vegeta groaned as he walked towards it.

"Krillin! Use my sword, hurry up!" Yajirobe called, aware that just because he was too battered to use it, and that Krillin still had one decent working arm, and that that was all they needed to at last be rid of the heartless monster forever.

_'The sword?'_ Krillin thought to himself as he found it next to him, he could easily bend over and pick it up (easily being an operative word with his injuries), either way he had never used such a weapon, never believed in it yet in this situation, maybe it was simply a matter of doing what was right and choosing the lesser of two evils. "Yeah, this thing cut through his armour! It might just come in handy."

By the time that Krillin had caught up with the Saiyan monster, he was bending over his pod and panting in an exaggerated way, looking as though he were going to be ill, _'Has he never experienced pain before? Aw well, won't matter soon.'_

"Hey, 'Saiyan'," Krillin called sword pulled back, it wasn't an experienced pose, but it was certain to do the trick, he could see the prince stiffen and shiver in terror. "You think you could just, slither out of here after what you've done? Well, think again!"

Vegeta stared up at him pleadingly, begging for his life in spite of all that he'd done, all that he'd inflicted on others, it didn't matter, and it never would to him, ever. The voice that came out of his throat was pathetic, it pleaded for his life, as so many had done to him, and he had never once shown mercy, in fact he had tortured them before they died, arguably worse than anything Krillin or even Piccolo could ever fathom. "No, no, you can't do this to me!"

The prince wet himself then, as he stared at the silver blade that reflected in the sunlight and only shook a little, more due to the ache in Krillin's arms and sides, from his broken ribs, yet his eyes were firm and decisive. He couldn't die now! Not after all that he'd accomplish, he was destined to take over Frieza's operations, to crush pitiful worlds like this one, to return the name 'Saiyan' to glory, to become a Super Saiyan, not to die on some desolate rock ignobly!

"Stop!" Goku called just as the blade was inches from Vegeta's face, earning him a glare from Krillin. "Don't do it!"

"NO! Finish him, you must else he'll come back and kill you all," Callion snapped from another side, with her laying in the dirt and watching from up above, where she'd fallen, while Goku gazed at him weakly from through one eye to his left.

"Goku is that you? She's right, we have got to stop this guy while we have the chance! He's-he's pure evil!" Krillin growled, with Callion agreeing with him.

"Yes, so finish him off," Callion encouraged mercilessly, glaring at him with one eye, as she gritted her teeth unable to move.

"No, listen just let him go, show him what it means to be merciful," Goku gasped in a broken voice with a grin to his friend, this strategy had always paid off, with every single one of his friends but Krillin wouldn't have any of that.

"Merciful!?" Krillin screeched at the same time as Callion.

"Do you know what he's done? What he did to your own brother? Trust me, there's no good in him, no honour," Callion growled as she rolled over onto her back, gasping for air.

"Yeah, this is the guy who threatened all the people on earth!" Krillin shouted glaring at his best friend, "Surely he'll come back and try it again! I just don't think it's a good idea to let him escape, now that we have a chance to finish him off for good!"

"If we do this, we cross a line, we can kill but in this way we'll smear ourselves and lower ourselves to his level, when we can prove something," Goku replied to her reasonably, "Trust me Krillin, I know what I'm doing. By doing this, we're showing him that there's another way, a better way. Besides, he's broken and won't be able to come back here, to threaten us so long as we're here to stop him."

"Goku, I don't think this guy is the kind of guy that can learn a lesson like that," Krillin replied aware that he was right here, this was a decision that would come back to haunt them, in the future and though it would give everyone the future hero, Trunks, the losses they'd suffer, the tragedies that would ensue would later prove that it was Krillin who had the right of it on some level. "He'll just think we're weak, it won't change him at all!"

"Won't be the first time that something like that happens, think about it; when Piccolo first came to us, he was just as evil as his father, he nearly destroyed me, but nearly took over the entire planet. And now…" Goku lied it was an exaggeration, Piccolo when he first arrived show-cased honour, reluctance to kill anyone save Goku and soon forgot even this desire, he knew how off the mark he was, but still it was worth a shot, it could prove to be useful to teach these Saiyans the Earth way, the way of mercy rather than sinking to their levels and compromising their ethics in the heat of the moment. _'Besides if you do this Krillin, there'll be no coming back for you, and much as I want Vegeta dead, more than you maybe, I could never sacrifice you for such a thing, if anyone must kill him, it can't be you…'_

"And now he's one of us," Krillin finished for him, the rage, the thirst for vengeance beginning to cool, even as Callion shrieked down at him.

"NO, you can't! You have to finish him off for good, if you do this all the collected blood, all the future victims will be on your useless hands, so finish him, torture him if you must but don't show him mercy today!" Callion yelled with all that she had in her broken voice, her throat having suffered just as the rest of her had over the course of the day.

"Right, and if someone as evil as Piccolo, can change then so can he, Vegeta deserves that same chance," Goku told them, unaware of just how much he'd come to regret this decision someday, in both futures, or how Chi-Chi would curse this decision, how it would cost Gohan in two different timelines, though it could never have been guessed then just how personal the sacrifices would be, because of this one moment of mercy. Yet it was also crucial, as it was the battle for Krillin's soul, a battle that Goku could never compromise or risk losing, as Krillin was his best friend, and the loss of Krillin would be disastrous to all futures, and to Goku on an emotional level. "Krillin, I know this is the right thing to do, but do it for yourself."

"But the Saiyans killed Yamcha, Tien, and Chaotzu! I can't let him get away with it!" Krillin screamed eyes full of tears, full of loss, full of grief for his lost loved ones as he ached for his friends, he wanted to punish someone, anyone for these losses, and if it meant the loss of one sadistic psychopathic narcissists then so be it.

"I know it seems like justice, but it's not right," Goku reminded him, fearful for his friend's soul then, "If you strike him down, it'll cost you something, something far more precious; you'll sink into something you're better than. You'll just show that you can change, and not for the best, Krillin I know you. You're gentle, and good don't compromise that simply for him, he isn't worth it. But you are, and if he has to die, let it be done with a clear head, and a clear heart, not a vengeful one. If you do kill him, it'll mean that they've won, be strong!"

But it was too late now, as Vegeta had finally pulled himself into the pod, while Callion sagged in defeat, furious and broken and unable to understand these fools, as Krillin smirked dropped the sword and accepted the decision for what it was. It was not them showing mercy to Vegeta, so much as it was them salvaging the battle for their own souls, proving they weren't monsters, and proving to the defeated Vegeta that they weren't afraid of him. Fear could never conquer hope and courage.

"That took a lot of courage and strength, I'm very proud of you." Goku told him, with a warm smile.

"Goku, I sure hope you're right about this, I hate to think of what might happen, if he comes back to try this again. If he ever comes back here, we'll stop him again," Krillin concluded with a continued feeling of bile in his throat, as he swallowed his thirst for revenge, his friend sagged in relief, happy to have saved his soul, to have kept him from tarnishing his honour with the murder of a helpless victim.

"You bet," Goku retorted as he grinned back, _'The harvesting season is just about a few weeks away, which means that the Senzu Beans' will be ready, and by then we'll be all in perfect condition and shape, for round two.'_

"You're all going to suffer, and when you beg me for mercy, I'll stare into your eyes as I crush them out," Vegeta said to them, as he activated the closing mechanism on his pod, with a smirk to Krillin. He didn't understand, and never would the concept of mercy, he would never atone, never redeem himself, and never change from what he was at his core; a monster. Krillin saw it then, though he gritted his teeth.

_'Go, just go and don't come back,'_ The bald martial-artist willed to the royal pain fleeing from Earth, he prayed they'd never see the horrid monster again, yet could already tell in his gut that this wouldn't be the case. He just knew, they'd meet again, and clash once more in spite of the favour he had just done the barbarous alien.

The pod shot up, and there was despite the regret and uncertainty, a slight sensation of relief amongst them, only for another voice to join in, "Oh how touching, you're all fools, and all the blood he spills will be on your hands."

"I almost forgot about her, do we spare her too, Goku?" Krillin asked turning to Goku, who smiled back with a throbbing head.

"I won't beg, I have pride unlike Vegeta, so finish me… Show me you can at least be men, and not worms too frightened to do what must be done," Callion snapped, as she laid where she had fallen, one eye glaring down upon Krillin, who gritted his teeth.

"No Krillin, she's also like Piccolo and Tien, she can change. Today we spare two Saiyans, she I know can learn from this," Goku insisted, persistent in his belief in mercy as Callion sighed in disgust, she had hoped they would show her no mercy, had prayed for death but since it was not to be.

"Fine, but Goku she's in really bad shape, what should we do? Drag her to the hospital, I doubt they'll want to treat an alien invader who tried to destroy the planet," Krillin reminded him, "The news captured everything on video, in that battle with Nappa, up until he destroyed most of the teams spying on the battle."

"Damn you both, then give me Vegeta's remote, and I'll be able to get to safety and possibly survive this," Callion instructed against her own wishes, she could just lay there but if she had to survive she wouldn't beg, wouldn't lower herself to the tender mercies of this primitive world.

"This one? Huh, I don't understand any of the buttons," Krillin commented, as he dragged himself over, only to look up the hill that separated them, with the Saiyan woman groaning and struggling only to float a bit off the ground then collapse a bit closer to the edge; with the end result being that she fell backwards, head-first then flipped in the air without intending to, only to crash with a yelp of pain at his feet. "Wow, that's gotta hurt."

"Shut up and do what I tell you moron, press the middle switch one button away from the right, then the topmost, and then the button one switch away from the right." Callion instructed in a gasping broken voice, too tired to glare, too beaten to think as she sagged to the ground, she was losing blood she realized, she might have a few hours, but she would likely die.

"Are you okay? What happens now?"

"Give it a minute."

The pod came as she expected, landing a few feet away from them, just a bit to the right of where Vegeta's pod had landed, with Callion gritting her teeth, fighting, struggling with all that she had. All in vain, as she ultimately failed to so much as move, she could only move her neck and head, as everything else was broken, shattered or beaten completely into pulp.

"I-I can't move," She grunted, refusing to beg, she closed her eye and sagged in defeat, maybe if she were to look up at the moon she'd be able to recover, the problem was that Vegeta's 'moon' had long since run out and the Earth's moon wouldn't return for almost twelve hours (which she was ignorant of, at least until she next saw the team).

"Krillin, help her," Goku said, with a grunt of pain.

"Yeah, yeah, never thought I'd be doing this today, filthy Saiyan," Krillin grumbled as he grabbed a chunk of her broken shoulder pauldron and began to pull on it as best he could, with his right hand, this was murder on his ribs but it would hopefully pay off, though she was by no means heavy, Callion could still only be dragged behind him.

It took several minutes, of struggling, of dragging and then of bending over and shoving to finally get her into a semi-seated position, in her pod as she lay there brokenly, gazing up at him with an unreadable gaze that seemed almost curious.

"Wh-why?"

"Why what?"

"Why-why help me? I killed your friends, and wouldn't hesitate to do the same to you," Callion grunted back, she could leave anytime now, she could die soon yet she needed to know, just as Piccolo and Tien had years before, long before Earth was even a consideration to her, or she one for Earth's heroes.

"Because, you're not like the other Saiyans, you believe in honour and therefore are different, everyone deserves a second chance, even you." Goku explained, as best he could with Krillin grinning down at her.

"Yeah, I may not like you, but you did try to save Goku and Gohan a few times." Krillin insisted, this Saiyan he could almost get behind on saving, she had demonstrated interest in keepin the child alive, in helping Goku, where he could never forgive Vegeta, this one didn't seem quite so bad despite her own tendencies.

"Fools, I showed no mercy, and didn't care for them, but…" Callion hesitated, sagged back and with one last sigh spoke the last words they'd hear from her, "I always repay my debts with interests, you'll see if I return, you'll see soon enough cue-ball…"

_'Is that good, or bad?'_ Krillin wondered to himself, as he stared and bared away as the pod closed, this time this Saiyan was not smirking at him, merely gazing upon him with that same curiosity, that same uncertainty he was staring at her with. "Hope you know what you're doing Goku."

"I'm showing gratitude to someone, for trying to protect Gohan, repeatedly, Krillin. I could no more punish her, or judge her because of the gratitude I bear her Krillin, you know this," Goku replied with a smile, as he allowed his exhaustion to finally get the better of him.

Their friends were swift to arrive, screaming and shouting as they finally discovered the battle-site of their fallen comrades and friends and family. The day had been hard-fought, wrought with tragedy, with wrongdoing and with heroism never before seen in history. Yet, it had been won, if by the skin of their teeth.


End file.
